Stumbling into roles
BETHEL ALUM, NICOLLE MACKINNON PROVES THAT BEING ‘GENUINE AND KIND’ GETS YOU PLACES.
by KELLY HINSETH | Web Chief
As the editorial manager for Eco Diva Beauty, an online retail blog showcasing safe and eco-friendly beauty products, and a former editor for Lake Minnetonka Magazine, she has been able to apply her copy skills and passion for safe products in order to make a living.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is a little different. I spend about a half hour organizing and planning out social media posts for the day: that includes Twitter and Facebook. I then spend some time on the client I work most for, Eco Diva Beauty. And that is all content management; so replying to emails, scheduling blog posts, writing reviews on products, working on Instagram posts, all other social media. And I also handle all of the marketing and communications side of things so writing e-newsletter copy, any upcoming content promotion with certain brands or products. We are also in the slow-and-steady process of redesigning the content of Eco Diva’s website.
Have you ever had a crisis or an editing horror story?
Where I work now, it’s not really life or death if something goes wrong; it’s really more little things. When I worked for Lake Minnetonka, there were more fires to put out and more “real” crises because print publication, you can’t change it once it’s out there. This summer, we had a source that we wrote a home story on the building firm he owns. And we wrote a story on the type of renovations they did and were. In the story, my writer did not include anything about his wife and we had done stories on the company before but this one was a specific feature. When the copy came back I said, “I would love to have some quotes from his wife, he mentions her but you don’t have anything from her.” The writer reached out, he and the wife both said she was too busy to talk to my writer so we just got a different source instead. When the story was published, he was furious that she wasn’t included.
How do you deal with stuff like that?
We called him and he was threatening to sue, and he said he had a lawyer. Even though we had reached out to and they said she was too busy, we just had to remain gracious and calm so he could just kind of let us have it. We needed to respond in a calm and collected way because it’s very important that we maintain those relationships.
How did you get to where you are today?
After college, I started out at a nonprofit magazine that did not last because it was not funded well. From there I went to Minneapolis St. Paul magazine working in their editorial department on random, different types of publications like Taekwondo Magazine. Then I kind of stumbled into social media with a number of different organizations. Honestly, I’m not really sure why, I did not have extensive knowledge. I think they just kind of thought “you’re kind of young, you can do this.” I moved around between some small non-profits doing social media and communications work. Then I found the Lake Minnetonka and I just randomly applied. I worked there part time for two years. While I was there, I began building up all of these freelance contacts and I found out No More Dirty Looks, a publication I have fawned over for years was looking for an editorial assistant. I once again, just kind of randomly applied. I had actually gone back and forth with them on Twitter a few times in the past, so I think they recognized my name. So they picked me out of hundreds of applicants and that really jump-started the beauty side of my career. I ended up at Eco Diva blogging for them twice a month. Then when they were relaunching their website, they asked me to evaluate what they had. I spotted a lot of errors and inconsistencies so I gave them a really detailed response. So they ended up hiring me to edit and redo all their content.
“We needed to respond in a calm and collected way because it’s very important that we maintain those relationships.”
What is the best part of your job?
One of my biggest passions is educating. There are so many toxic chemicals and ingredients out there that government says are okay and safe to use, but they’re not! I am obsessed with researching ingredients and showing people what is safe to use and what isn’t. I’ve also always been super excited about magazines but I never saw myself freelancing just because I hate networking. I am not a master at networking. And there is so much more flexibility in what I am doing right now.
What is some advice you have for college-students about internships?
Get as many internships as you possibly can. But don’t feel trapped by or limit yourself to just journalism. Journalism helps cultivate so many valuable skills; if you are someone who can write good copy and you know how to communicate that’s huge.
What does networking look like to you?
I honestly hate networking. I’m not good at it. I’ve always found that the best way to go about “networking” is by being kind and genuine. That’s why I always begin my emails with a nice, genuine greeting and ending it the same way. I can’t believe how many emails I’ve seen or even received that have no sort of greeting or anything.
How has being genuine and kind helped you?
When you are a genuine person and you ask people questions, good things happen. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out and connect with people. I have never known of anyone to be offended when someone reaches out to them. I know that for me, those role models that I looked up to, through networking with them and establishing a relationship, they have become my friends through all of that. You want to continue growing that web of people and connections by establishing quality and genuine relationships.
“When you are a genuine person and you ask people questions, good things happen. Don’t ever be afraid to reach out and connect with people.”
Phyllis Alsdurf. I have written stories about her and vice versa. She’s honestly the best, and Scott is too. The entire Bethel journalism department was always so great in inspiring me and motivating me to pursue my passions.
What advice do you have in order to get published?
Spend some time on job boards and look locally in the Twin Cities. There are a lot of publications out there that look for freelancers. And they are more willing to take a chance on you. Start with publications that you spend the most time reading and get to know their style. And make sure you are getting as many clips as you can. The more examples you have showcasing your work, the better. And don’t be afraid to ask people questions. Most people are flattered to be wanted for information.
Mackinnon says that it has never been unclear to her in what she was supposed to do next. She said that she always trusted God through every point in her path and she knows he has provided for her. Mackinnon is a perfect example of never knowing what is going to hit you or what opportunity is going to lie next. Her editing skills got her into roles that she didn’t even realize existed and they turned out to be exactly what she was meant to do.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
