From Unheard to Getting 10k views on Instagram

If you have tried instagram reels but failed, listen up.

In today’s episode I’m speaking to my student Lotus Stewart and we are sharing how she went unheard to getting 10k views plus our simple strategy for launching a brand new podcast and Youtube channel.

• How to get seen online even if you’re an introvert

• Why having a podcast and a YouTube channel is the best strategy for building your audience

• How Lotus started getting 10k views on instagram reels

If this episode inspires you then I’d love to hear from you! Take a screenshot of you listening on your device, post it to your Instagram stories and tag me @katherine_beck_

Then follow me on Instagram to go ‘behind the scenes’ with me and my own journey as an American accent coach and Voiceover Actor.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Ready to speak with influence so you can increase your sales on your next launch? Join me for my free masterclass and I’ll show you how to present like a 7 figure entrepreneur.

Reserve your spot here: www.katherinebeck.com/lyv

Lotus Stewart: www.arthistorykids.com/starterkit

Instagram: www.instagram.com/arthistorykids/

LEARN MORE FROM KATHERINE BECK:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | YOUTUBE | TIK TOK

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SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Katherine Beck
You're listening to the voice of your brand podcast episode number 14. In today's episode, I'm going to be speaking to one of my students who went from on herd to getting 10k views on Instagram. That's coming up next, ready to go behind the scenes and learn what it really takes to stand out as the voice of your brand. I'm Katherine Beck, voice actor and voice coach. And after 20 years of being the voice of other brands, I'm here to show you how your voice is your most powerful tool to creating the impact, influence and income you desire. The world is your global stage. So get ready to uplevel your voice and your personal brand. This is the voice of your brand podcast. We will get into today's episode in just a moment. But first, I want to let you know that the doors are officially open to launch your voice. And if you are ready to go from being the industry's best kept secret, and you are ready to start amplifying your voice out into the world then let us get to work, you will have access to my entire voice program plus group coaching with me to get feedback on your voice on your delivery for your next launch your next presentation. Big talk podcast getting on other people's podcasts, there are so many opportunities waiting for you. If you are ready to now start amplifying your voice, all you need to do is head over to Katherine beck.com. Forward slash l EY V grab all the details to enroll doors close Thursday night at midnight. That's Pacific time. And also before we run this interview, I just want to give a big shout out to our listener of the week, which is Natalie MC Mirchi, who says a golden podcast by the Queen of mastering your voice. Wow, thank you so much, Natalie. And you know what the funny thing is about being called the queen of mastering your voice is that I often think of myself as like the non voice coach, because this was something that I just kind of fell into being voice coaching. And I remember back when I was in college, and I was taking voice classes voice was my least favorite subject. So it's funny that you know, I teach voice, because I just never really enjoyed doing voice exercises. I just didn't see the purpose. So it wasn't until later on that I understood the purpose behind it. And I thought if I'm going to do voice exercises, I'm going to make it fun. I want to make it enjoyable. I want to make it easy. I do not want to be doing voice exercises for a half an hour every day. So I do work a little bit differently than the average voice coach. And I think my love for voice came from doing voiceovers and especially podcasting. And that's really where I've noticed that I can make the greatest impact. And that's really where I feel like I can use my voice to help serve others. And that for me, that's what it's really about. So thank you so much for this review. I truly, truly appreciate it. And it makes all of this way worthwhile. And hey, if you are listening to this episode and you are loving what you hear, go ahead, do me a favor, click those five stars. Hit that follow button and leave a review and let me know what you think of the podcast. Alright, let's talk about my guest on the show today. Lotus Stewart is one of my students. She is the founder of art history kids, which facilitates intentional art appreciation, and hands on creativity that is easily accessible to homeschoolers. I am so thrilled to have her on the show, and to talk about how she found her voice in her business. So let's roll that interview. Welcome, Lotus. I'm so excited to speak with you. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today.

Lotus Stewart
Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to be here and I can't wait to dive in and chat.

Katherine Beck
Okay, great. Well, let's go back to so you're one of my students that was in my program. And it was really great to work with you and see your progress. But for those that are tuning in, why don't we just start with who you are, what you do, and what inspired you to work with me and take my program?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, so I I am a homeschool mom and I have a an art history membership for homeschool kids. So being that I'm in a primarily visual field and everything is you know, based on art and seeing things and I like to write a lot I've always like to write when I started my business. It was basically a lot of written words, blog posts, things that were not video based. And so I realized at a certain point that I was missing a huge operation Unity to be on video more to do Instagram reels. And in working with you, you inspired me to start a new podcast and a YouTube channel. So these things just opened up all of these new ways for me to communicate with people. And I, you know, you kind of always think the way that you do things is the way that everybody does things, at least I don't know, I just kind of tend to think that like, Oh, no one's gonna want to watch that many videos or listen to podcasts because they're busy doing other things, because I like to read. And that's kind of the way that I consume information. But it was really surprising to me when I actually surveyed my audience that most like the vast majority of them do love video and podcasts way more than reading. So that was something that I was like, Okay, well, this I need to meet people where they're at, because I want to have this conversation and through writing, I'm missing a lot of people that I could be communicating with. So yeah.

Katherine Beck
Oh, interesting. So that's why you started with the blog, because you're an avid reader. And that's what you enjoy doing. So that made sense to you?

Lotus Stewart
Yes, yeah. And I love to write, I always love to write, I almost went into journalism. Before I decided to be a graphic designer. That's what I'm, that's what my background is, my education is in graphic design. So I kind of like what came sideways into the world of art history and homeschooling. But yeah, I've always loved to write. And so writing came really naturally to me, and being on video, I'm such an introvert. So being on video, being on, you know, having people being on any kind of stage, I even wanted our wedding to be small. I'm like, I don't want a lot of people looking at me, I just want it to be like a cozy, intimate evening. So that's just my preference. But at a certain point, I'm just like, there's all these people out there who I want to have this conversation with. And this is how I need to do things to be able to reach them. So in order to feel more confident, I needed some help. And that's where you came in. And so it really did help a lot to just get a little bit of background and information and advice and direction about how to best use my voice to share ideas.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, it's interesting that you brought up that you're an introvert because I love shouting to the rooftops that I'm an introvert too, I call myself an extroverted introvert. Because I do put myself out there, I make myself visible, but I always say, is introverts, we've got to work in our comfort zone and not force ourselves to do things that don't feel comfortable to us. So it's that balance between what your audience needs and your needs as well. And when you can find that sweet spot, I think it really gives the capability to reach a much bigger audience. And also to realize that it's okay to be a little bit uncomfortable. It's when we live in that uncomfortableness, that we start to really shift and grow. And that the more you do it, really, the easier it becomes for the introvert where at first, it's really quite kind of daunting and a little bit scary. And then you didn't even go you know what, it's actually it's okay, it's, it's more, and I'll be curious to know what you think, the lead up to doing it, versus the actual doing it? That's kind of the more daunting part.

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, exactly. Thinking about it before. And then and that's the other thing is that, in working, I used to do like Facebook Lives and these other things that were live, and they would really stress me out. And I don't think that I did a good job at them because I was just so in my head and not, not in a space where I could really have this kind of conversation that I wanted to. But with Instagram reels, and with the podcast, and with YouTube, those are all pre recorded. So I can use the tools and the techniques that you shared with me and taught me and kind of focus my energy on speaking with someone even though they're not really there. But I imagined that they are and then have this conversation, where when it's live, and you know, if you mess up one little time, and you're just like, it's kind of starts to snowball, and but being prepared, like you said, is a big thing, too. I like to have an outline. And then I feel like ready to jump in and say what I want to say and not just like push, you know, push, go live and just start rambling and hope that it sounds good in the end. So yeah, so finding those platforms that work for you, as an introvert like that you can, you know, do it again, if it doesn't turn out the way you wanted it or you can edit a little piece out or whatever, so that you have a product that you're excited to share with people.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, for sure. That brings up a good point. That I bet that extroverts probably thrive on things like Instagram lives, versus the introvert where we would much rather record things and have a little bit more control. Roll over, you know, how it's laid out, we can always do another take. So I'm actually really thought about that. But there's probably something to that, which is, yeah, probably why a lot of us introverts will steer clear of the lives or feel that it's really awkward.

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, cuz I don't like being put on the spot too. And I feel like I like to, you know, kind of think about things and formulate an IT idea before I start talking about it. So sometimes when you're doing a live video, if somebody asks you a question live, and you're like, you really would like to take two minutes to think about that before you respond. You can't really do that. So but if you're, you know, if you're recording something, and then you're like, something occurs to you, you can push pause, or stop the video and think about that for a minute, and then come back to it with kind of that reflection and intention in what you're about to say.

Katherine Beck
Yeah, cool. So I'd be curious to know, since we've been working together, well, first of all, I'll say this, one of the really interesting things when we're working together is we were looking at your Instagram reels, and looking at seeing if we can increase the numbers and get more visibility with that. And we start playing around with a couple of different elements. And there were there was this one instance, where one of the videos was that first video really took off. Do you want to talk about that?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, so that one, yeah, I had recorded I batch a few of them all at the same time. And so I was posting them out each one day at a time. And one of them did, it just took off and got I think 4000 Or maybe even more like 1000s of views when the other ones were several 100 That one had so many more views. And so it was really exciting to see my not only my Instagram account growing, but like people are engaging and interacting there on the platform, and just all these new people that I was able to reach. And so it was fun to kind of go back and figure out with you why it was so good about that one, what did people like about it and, and then try to reverse engineer it and recreate it for some new ones, which was exciting to try new things and see what would work. So it's yeah, it's kind of like, it's fun.

Katherine Beck
It was exciting. It was fun, it was being a little bit more scientific and strategic about the reels, and looking at the different elements. So using your voice, obviously, you know, talking to camera, the specific words that were on the screen, and also the visuals, and I think it was sort of the combination of the three, there couple of those that were like 10k 13k, or something like that, like they really took off?

Lotus Stewart
You did? Yeah. And we? Yeah,

Katherine Beck
oh, no, I was just gonna say it started. A way of also, I think finding your voice and a style that felt good for you and was a way to communicate with your audience.

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, it was, it was fun. And the reels are, are tricky. At the same time. They're challenging because they are so short. And we kind of started to notice that the shorter the better. Even 60 seconds is kind of long for a real so the shorter the better. And yeah, just what words are showing up there, on your on your cover on your thumbnail, and, you know, if you can hold up something or somehow just drawing people in? And yeah, I guess starting that conversation. So it was it was really exciting when a few of those when I hadn't really played with them that much before. And then to have some of them do really well, it was fun, and continue working on them and trying to see and you know, and then you kind of get bored of that kind of same formula and test out some other things and see what else works. And so there's always this evolution of what are we going to try next? And what else could we do? That's kind of like this, but different now.

Katherine Beck
So yeah, exactly, which is great. And you're getting a lot of shares as well, which I think is the key with that is that you know, start reaching a much bigger community, which is what we want. So that was really exciting to see. But from there, we worked on a plan of creating a idea or a vision of how to amplify your voice more get out there into other platforms. You had already had a YouTube channel but it was still in the sort of like growth phase like it right you already

Lotus Stewart
YouTube channel was brand new. Oh, that was brand new as well. Yeah, they were both brand new together the YouTube channel and podcast started the business.

Katherine Beck
Okay, so this was incredible because you took on the task. And I must say I'm very impressed of starting a YouTube channel and a podcast at the same time. Now, here's the thing. One might think we're crazy. But the thing is, is that the way I look at a podcast the way I look at a YouTube is like those are In two primary platforms, you choose one, and then you can easily repurpose to the other. So we looked at for you, you know, what's going to be the primary? And then how can we use that primary platform to then pull that content into the other. And in that sense, they can work very naturally easily together. And for you, you chose which to be your primary?

Lotus Stewart
Well, I think I feel like the YouTube channel might be the primary. And I'm starting to now that I've been in it for a few, a couple months, I am kind of starting to think about ways I could use them differently. But yeah, it is so easy when you can just do one thing, and then just repurpose it directly on to the other one and reach so many more people. Some people like to listen, some people like to watch. So but since I, what I do is so visual, sometimes when I'm kind of outlining the content, and I know it's just gonna go on a podcast as well. I'm like, Oh, I can't do that. I can't do that. So I'm starting to think of new ways I could do both of them separately. But yeah, it is, it is fun to see how the difference between people who go to the YouTube channel and people who go to the podcast, and there's just preferences that people like to consume content in different ways and engage with you in different ways. And so it's always nice to be able to do something once and have it work for you twice as hard.

Katherine Beck
And so what's the response been since you started the YouTube channel, the podcast? Have you heard back from anybody?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah. So I've got I've received some really nice emails that people are excited. And there are so many new homeschoolers. This year, last year, the past few years, just a lot of people who kind of got thrown into homeschooling, but then realized they actually liked it, and they want to stay here. So even though schools are open again, the homeschooling community has really grown. And so there are a lot of new homeschoolers who are like, I'm so glad I found you, because we're just starting out. And I don't know what to do for art and for art history. So this is amazing. And that was one of the other things that you really helped me with was figuring out how to speak to the adults because I used to speaking to kids, that's who I communicate with, in my program, I'm directly communicating with the kids. So then we decided that the YouTube channel and the podcast would be for adults, to kind of make them feel comfortable in bringing this kind of curriculum into their homeschool. So that was a challenge as well, because a lot of the time I am used to talking to kids around ages 789. And maybe that's not the most influential way to speak, when you want somebody to hear what you're saying, and you want to be seen as a thought leader, there are different things that you need to do with your voice.

Katherine Beck
So yeah, exactly. And that brings up a really good point is that we don't always consider how our voice is perceived or received. On the other end, the person that's listening, the person that's watching, how are they receiving that information? Is it attracting them? Are they confused? Is it annoying? Is it boring? Is it confusing? So yeah, it was great that we were able to get clear on that now. Curious to know, have you gotten any sort of results on your YouTube channel or your podcast? Anything exciting start to come in you noticing any trends? What's going on?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, I've noticed that well, always, historically, a lot of traffic comes to my website, from Pinterest, and from Google searches. So those are the two things. And I've never had obviously any traffic from from YouTube. But now I'm starting to see and it's a lot it's even more than platforms like Facebook, where I've been established for a while it's people are finding me and coming to my website more from YouTube. So and this is an it's just started the past couple of weeks. So it's, you know, still in it's brand new stage. And I haven't even intentionally tried to direct a lot of traffic because I know that YouTube, they like people to stay on the YouTube platform. So I've been, you know, not very assertive or aggressive in trying to direct people away and over to my website, but they're still fine. They're still finding their way over there, which is really exciting. So the more traffic I can get from YouTube, the better and from pause the podcast as well. I think that it's so exciting to just hop into the platform and see how many people are listening and downloading and to realize that it's, it's really reaching a lot of people which is exciting. I want to

Katherine Beck
ask you, I'm curious to think where where would you be if we didn't meet? We didn't work together. Where would you be right now?

Lotus Stewart
Well, I for sure I wouldn't have started the YouTube channel or the podcast because those were like not even on my radar at all not projects that I ever had, you know, considered or contemplated or what have I done to you? But I would probably still be, you know, had the blog, and I'm not even sure I would be that much in the Instagram reels territory yet I might be doing it a different way, like maybe showing books or showing project ideas or snippets of things, but probably not myself speaking, which is, we all know the thing that you know, you need to get out there and have people feel like they know you and like you and trust you. So before they feel nurtured enough to come into your world and become part of your programs or, you know, join your communities. So yeah, I just was never, I don't know, I I never, it never occurred to me to do things that way, just because I think it is because I'm an introvert. And I just like, oh, this is so pretty. My graphic design background, I'm like, I can make this so pretty with this graphic. And this typography. And so me going on camera was the last thing on my mind. So you really inspired me to open doors that I never would have before. So

Katherine Beck
that's amazing. That's huge. That's really exciting. Well, I'm glad that I could facilitate that for you and give you that little nudge to get out there. I think you're doing great. And has any Have you noticed? Like, I mean, we've sort of touched on this before, but having noticed then a difference? Well, have you noticed a difference with how you commute to those that are already in your community? Like, do they notice a difference in the way you communicate with them? And also has been, has it had any sort of ripple effect then in like, outside of business, but like the rest of your life? Life if you're feeling more confident using your voice and getting it out there?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, I think it has. I mean, I used to kind of keep my ideas to myself more not because I was like, timid to share them. Or I just, I'm always one of those people who goes into a room and I observe, I'm an observer. I think that's why I like our history so much, because it's all about observation. But I just like to watch what's going on, and I have my own thoughts. But I'm not necessarily compelled to share that with anyone. So that was something that I'm like, you know, this could be a fun conversation. And I do start to talk more when I would have probably just kept my ideas to myself and continued observing. So yes, it has definitely had a ripple effect beyond the Instagram reels on the podcast and YouTube into day to day life in general.

Katherine Beck
Do you have any advice for anyone who may be in a similar situation as you when prior to when we first started working together that is on the fence or considering working on their voice? Or they know that that's something that they need to work on, but they've been hiding or putting it off? What advice would you say to them to somebody who's considering possibly putting themselves out there?

Lotus Stewart
Yeah, I would just say, Don't discount what you have to share. Even if you think that people have already heard it, or there's already other people doing what you're doing. Everybody has their own unique take on the thing that you're here to share with people. And people need to hear it from you. Because it's sometimes there's a certain way someone says something, or there's just a certain quality about a person that will magnetize other people to you. So your voice needs to be heard, and your message needs to be shared. And the more confidence you have to get out there and share it and whatever platform if it's Instagram, or podcasts or YouTube or on stages or doing Facebook Lives, if that's something that is, you know, for some people, I think that you're right, that is fun, whatever that looks like. I think that it's really important for all of us to feel empowered, and confident to step up and share what we have to share with people because there are people out there who need to hear it.

Katherine Beck
So good. Thank you so much lotus, it's been so nice catching up with you. And I'm so excited to keep watching you and listening to you on the podcast, the YouTube channel. The Instagram rules everywhere. Got you got we have to get you on the TIC TOCs though I know

Lotus Stewart
that's next I got one video on tick tock but that is on hold for now until all the rest of this kind of becomes a little bit more. I have more systems in place. But yes, that tick tock is another huge opportunity that I'm excited to explore.

Katherine Beck
Well, we will get you there anyway. You're doing a fantastic job and I really appreciate you sharing your story and how far you've come on the podcast. Where can people find you if they got a homeschooler at home and they want to learn more about what you do? How can they find you?

Lotus Stewart
Yes, thank you. My website is art history kids.com And my podcast and YouTube channel are called the homeschool art revolution.

Katherine Beck
Amazing. And we'll put that in the show notes as well. Thanks so much lotus, I really appreciate for having me.

Lotus Stewart
And thank you so much for all of your knowledge and feedback and everything. It's been really amazing and just like blown me away beyond my wildest dreams, how comfortable I could feel speaking with, you know, in all these different ways that I never did before. So, really, thank you.

Katherine Beck
You're welcome. Thanks so much. Thank you so much Lotus. And hey, if you are out there and you are ready to amplify your voice to then join me inside of launch your voice the doors are now open, just head over to Katherine beck.com forward slash l YV, check out all the details to enroll, we are not going to be opening up the doors again until 2023. So if you're ready to take action, get visible, be heard, start that podcast or guest speak on other podcasts than join me inside of launch your voice. And remember, if you love the show, go ahead. Let me know take a screenshot of the show and share it with me on Instagram stories at Katherine underscore that underscore you can find me there and if you got any questions or topics you'd like to hear on the show, just DM me and let me know. And coming up next time on the show. We are going to be talking about podcasts and why specificity in your podcast sells. Now make sure to share the show with all your friends. Let them know what's coming up next time and invite them to tune in with you to learn how to speak up and stand out as the voice of your brand. Until then go on get out there and share that powerful voice of yours with the world. And I'll see you back here next time.