Adventure Influencer: Leap 4 by Kaelin Cegelski

Adventure Influencer by Kaelin Cegelski

In this week’s LEAP assignment we were tasked with finding an influencer and analyze their success and communication strategies, tying in the recent concepts we have learned about media literacy. I chose to analyze a TikTok influencer who I believe to be an effective communicator.

Ben Kielesinski is an influencer with 2.6 million followers on TikTok. He is an adventurer who takes his fandom on his adventures which primarily include hikes with beautiful views. He usually starts his videos by saying “Want to come on an adventure with me? Too bad, you’re coming”. Then he shows footage of him hiking, the sights he sees along the way, making coffee or hot soups at the summit, and of course the incredible view from the top. Sometimes his videos include words of wisdom and encouragement, or stories. Ben has a major following on TikTok but also has a large number of followers on Instagram and YouTube as well. He gained a fast following on TikTok by using certain communication tactics to engage and connect his audience.

What makes him a successful influencer? I think it’s his combination of consistent engaging content, his niche focus, storytelling ability, and the fact that he doesn’t really do brand deals or advertisements. Not doing brand deals is an important thing to note here. Many influencers participate in brand deals which makes it difficult to discern what is genuinely something they want to promote to their audience and is just sponsored content. Because Ben doesn’t do sponsored content, it’s easier for his audience to trust him.

The most important part of being an influencer is your content. GeekTime reports the top nine things that make a successful influencer. The site reports that “quality influencers know what makes their audiences tick. They know how to entertain, how to engage, and how to persuade. Good influencers also know how to tell a great story that captivates and convinces (plus, humans are generally predisposed to love a good narrative)” (GeekTime). Ben knows that his audience loves the content he posts: adventures. They feel very connected to him through sharing these narratives. One key concept we learned about in Media Literacy is that people love consistency, and are more likely to buy things from people they trust (Crash Course). Well, Ben isn’t exactly selling anything but himself. I think that because his niche is very focussed, he builds his credibility with his audience. He is most popular on TikTok, but the more he grows close to his TikTok fandom the more his other platforms grow as well.

GeekTime also talks about how successful influencers “know their target audience inside and out, and they know why followers keep coming back for more content. The reason is because great influencer content is incredibly focused. No matter what category, interest, topic, or niche an influencer covers, it’s fine-tuned and valuable. This is what makes an influencer’s opinion trustworthy,” (GeekTime). The latter half of the quote relates back to the content piece and having focussed content. Ben knows his target audience well and knows what they like to see. He often checks in with the audience on Live and in the comment sections, asking what his audience wants to see next. Furthermore, GeekTime suggests that good influencers regularly engage with their audience, so it looks like Ben is on the right track (evident also by his 2.6 million followers).

Here is one of Ben’s more popular TikTok videos, with 12.5 million views. This is a great example of what his content is like.

One of the ways Ben connects with his audience is through emotional contagion. “This is when emotional states are transferred through both interpersonal and mass communication” (Renne…). In Ben’s videos, he often shares stories that play into his audience’s ethos. In this video, Ben shares a wholesome story of taking his father on a birthday adventure. His goal with this video was to share a more touching story with the audience. As we previously learned about in the “How stories shape our minds” video from BBC, stories make us human and connect us. This is especially prevalent when the stories are emotionally rich and relatable.

Walden University says that “effective communication is an essential skill for achieving success…[and] communication skills breed confidence and optimism, two character traits that enable you to accomplish your goals” (Walden). Ben is a very effective communicator which allows him to portray his message to his audience very well. Walden University, similar to what GeekTime, suggests that an effective communicator is an active listener, knows their audience and is clear. Another characteristic of effective communication, according to Forbes, is finding your own voice. As I mentioned before, Ben often says “Do you want to come on an adventure with me? Too bad you’re coming”. This is a staple of his, and a way that he has used his own language to express his message and find his voice. This is one example of Ben’s communication in action.

Ben creates experiences with his content that his followers wouldn’t normally get the chance to have. Many of the comments on his videos talk about how grateful they are to have found his page, and that his content has helped them feel more relaxed. If we think of Ben’s content as a story (or many stories) he is kind of like the protagonist.

Stories are very persuading and can connect audiences with the storyteller. Ben’s use of storytelling creates parasocial relationships with his fandom. Parasocial relationships are when audiences feel that they have a genuine connection or are friends with a celebrity or influencer. Some of Ben’s audience definitely has a parasocial relationship with him, and he is able to create that connection through his stories.

Overall, Ben is a successful influencer due to his ability to make his audience trust and relate to him. He is able to use his stories to shape his audience and connect with them, using effective and clear communication. He knows his niche and listens to his audience well.

Sources:

Perspective, Dr. Ski’s. “Baxter Magolda’s Theory of Self Authorship Written by Anita Kiteau.” Baxter Magolda’s Theory of Self Authorship Written by Anita Kiteau, 1 Jan. 1970, http://collegestudentdeveltheory.blogspot.com/2010/10/baxter-magoldas-theory-of-self.html.

“How to Be an Effective Communicator in 7 Easy Steps.” Walden University, https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/communication/resource/how-to-be-an-effective-communicator-in-7-easy-steps.

Tardanico, Susan. “5 Habits of Highly Effective Communicators.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 24 Apr. 2014, https://www.forbes.com/sites/susantardanico/2012/11/29/5-habits-of-highly-effective-communicators/?sh=3ce8007b19b6.

Green, Hank and John Green, directors. Influence & Persuasion: Crash Course Media Literacy #6, 3 Apr. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXhLmkrN0-I.

“How Stories Shape Our Minds | The Science of Storytelling.” How Stories Shape Our Minds | The Science of Storytelling , BBC, 23 July 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyZMSZG2Dmk.

Hobbs, Renee. Media Literacy in Action: Questioning the Media. Rowman & Littlefield, 2021.