Create The Best Content You Can … Then LEAK It
Kate Upton is a globally recognized model and actress who first came into limelight in 2011 as Sports Illustrated “Rookie of the year”. And while every model or brand goes through its own path of growth and success, it’s interesting to take a look at how variables beyond Upton’s control( some of which you can replicate) have played a major role in making her one of the most recognized brands in the world.
Starting back in February 2011 when the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated was announced, Kate was virtually unknown. Take a look at the headlines that covered her debut back then.
Brooklyn Decker appears in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue preview- Lucire
Check Out The Models Who Join Brooklyn Decker In 2011’s 'Sports Illustrated' Swimsuit Issue! — Hollywood life
Major celebrity publications barely mention her in their articles and their headlines are entirety void of her presence. Her limited reach is also prevalent in her tweets from that period.
2 months later in April 2011 a video of her doing The Dougie at the Los Angeles clippers game went viral. Shot by her friend the video was watched almost 10 million times on Youtube, skyrocketed her fame gaining her 200k followers on Twitter overnight and made headlines around the world.
“It did surprise me. My friend and I were in Los Angeles. We
had a job but we were really just having fun. I used to work out (to the
song). She said we have to YouTube it, we have to see how to Dougie.“I said ‘Listen, I already know how to Dougie’. Next day we went to a
basketball game and I did it. I didn’t think it would be such a hit. But
it’s a lot of fun so I’m excited about it.”
On 10th of April, CNBC invited her for an interview on the Dougie clip. Before long, CBS, Huffington Post and The Bleacher Report followed suit.
With her infectious laugh and sexy, fun-loving attitude, the minute-long video raked up almost 10 million hits on YouTube and was declared a “cinema verité classic gone viral” by Vogue magazine. — Fox News
The media coverage introduced her to legions of fans online who were captivated by her moves. 😰
Even her own tweets start getting some attention( which was well deserved given the content she created.) 😜
Although the idea of going viral is often associated with luck, it is important to note that Upton’s Dougie video was uploaded by Sports journalist Arash Markazi, who already had a record of making stories go viral. The media coverage resulted in huge social media following that Upton was able to leverage in getting new features.
“We all know that social media now creates its own reality,” said Wayne Sterling, the publisher of Models.com “If you become a YouTube star among teenagers, you have even more recognizability than a TV star,” he said. “Kate Upton is the perfect example of that.” — NYT
Welcome your consumers into your life
Thousands of models use Instagram to grow their social media reach, posting captivating images and captions. What most of them don’t realise is that creating a long term relationship with their consumers goes beyond that. WELCOME. THEM INTO YOUR LIVES. When people came across the Dougie video they saw something unexpected( a model who’s supposed to be sexy and in pose is actually funny and playful). They ran to check her out on social media and found somebody just like them. Instantly, they felt a connection.
Engage with your customers
If your only leverage to keep your consumers on your account is a beautiful photograph, then remember, the next beautiful model/brand is just a click away. The reason why Amanda Cerny boasts 19 million followers on Instagram and model X has 50k is because Amanda welcomes you into her life. You know her thoughts, her likes, her friends, her journey … which is why she’s 38 million eyeballs on her. Go visit her profile and look at how frequently she interacts with her fans in comments or posts their comments in her stories.
Coming back to Kate Upton’s journey … Luck knocked on her door again, a year later when another video of her dancing “Cat Daddy” went viral on YouTube. This time the video was shot by photographer Teddy Richardson who leaked it on YouTube, which was then watched over 27 million times and put her on the map …Which brings us to the final lesson.
Create the best content you can … then LEAK it.
Tell your friend to give an anonymous news tip. Better yet, get an influencer to do it for you. The media loves a shitshow. Scroll through TMZ, The Daily Mail, Perez Hilton … scandals sell better than banner ads.
American Apparel’s next tv ad? Who’s interested? 😕
The LEAKED American Apparel’s super bowl ad? I wanna check it out NOW 😨😨
Kate Upton’s next dance video. Who’s interested? OK, some of you are 😜
A LEAKED Kate Upton’s dance video that none of us were supposed to see? 27 million of us saw it 😈😈
CLAPS 👏👏👏👏👏
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