199. How do you build a lasting community? (f. Jessica Valant)
Eager to master efficient content creation? 📝 Join Phil, Lauren, and their guest Jessica, a pilates teacher and a physical therapist turned online sensation, as they delve into short-form content strategies and the power of platforms like YouTube. Learn how to harness audience feedback, align content with business aims, and stay persistent in your digital journey. Dive in for a concise guide to boosting your online game. Don’t miss this insight-packed episode!
Episode transcription
Phil
Looking to optimize your content and audience engagement?
lauren
Curious about mastering the social media maze?
Phil
Then you won't want to miss today's episode with Jessica valon. A Pilates teacher and a physical therapist turned online sensation. Yeah, that's what she is.
Lauren
From YouTube strategies to the power of direct messaging. Jessica's insights are game changing.
phil
Grab a pen and a paper. If you still use those, you are going to want to remember this.
lauren
Let's dive in.
phil
Listener, you're in for a treat today, I want to start with maybe one of the most cliche sayings, but it is so freakin true in this scenario, and I'll explain, winners don't quit. Jessica, our client and our friend today is, I think one of the perfect examples of what I'm going to call content, perseverance. Okay, now, there are a few things working in Jessica's advantage. Being an early adopter, getting in early, being so lovable and being someone that people want to consume content from, but also, and being stunning and dining as well. Easy on the eyes.
But just sticking with it and continuing, persevering, continuing to create content and treating it like a business. Not a hobby, I think is the one thing that impresses me the most about you besides your good looks. Jessica, welcome. We're just so happy to have you on Brand Therapy. Welcome.
jessica
Thank you. I'm so happy to be here. And I feel like we should be in person at a happy hour. Someday. It's like on my vision board some day.
lauren
Phil told me that he's like, he sent me a screenshot once when you two are talking about margaritas. And then he said we talk about alcohol all the time. He's like all the time. And he said we DM about it constantly. Really fun.
jessica
Maybe I should point out I don't have one in front of me right now, though. For listeners, just so you know,
Lauren
None of us do.
Jessica
I do have a boundary around it.
Phil
I went too hard last weekend. So yeah, it's true. And I just nothing brings me more joy than being tagged in a comment or a story and you and it's alcohol. But you do I mean, you. You and I are similar. We're good drink buddies, because if you're gonna drink, then make it worth your while. So like, get a really interesting, well made cocktail. Like is that gonna do it? Then do it right, celebrate it and enjoy it. I'm a big believer in that. I don't. I don't maybe this has me maturing. But I'm not interested in like cheap wine for the sake of drinking wine. Don't want it. I would rather drink water. But if it's a nice bottle handed over and handed over,
Jessica
I'll take it.
Lauren
Okay, how can we make that analogy apply to Jessica's YouTube and brand presence is that do a right or down to it at all.
Phil
Or let your taste mature or your skill set mature I think.
Jessica
Or know what works for you and own it. And don't feel like you have to be like someone else. Because there will be 22 year olds listening to this, which I was once that you will drink or consume whatever. And that's okay, because you're learning about yourself, right like, and that's the way it kind of starts, you do have to throw so much at the wall to see what sticks. And I look back at I mean, you don't know what your niche is maybe to start you don't even know what your passion is. And then you don't or you think you know what your passion is. But it's not what your audience wants. So you're throwing, throwing, throwing, and then eventually you settle into what you like, but also coming to accept to what your audience wants.
I remember that moment thinking I knew what I was giving them. But really, it was more just this idea that that's what I thought I should be doing as a professional. And instead I really listened to what they wanted. And when I started to kind of own that about myself, like step into that role and accept that. Yeah, that was my choice. And if this was going to be my garden to tend or this was going to be my area to play in whatever metaphor you use. I think once you step into that, it does make everything more enjoyable. And you can say no to the other stuff. Because you know what you want or what works for you. That's how I relate it to that.
Lauren
Now you have 511,000 YouTube subscribers, and you have posted 366 long form videos. So, so impressive. Are there ever moments when you get tired of it or want to give up?
Jessica
I get tired of hearing myself talk. That's what I tell my husband all the time but I think it's just the nature of my job because I'm a physical therapist by trade. So I'm still a licensed PT. And that's what I did first and then became a Pilates instructor quickly afterwards. So the beginning of my career was seeing 20 patients a day. In orthopedic outpatient setting, I mean, every half hour new patient, new patient, new patient, so I was talking all day long talking to colleagues. Then I get into teaching Pilates classes 10 hours a day. So it's really the nature of my job to talk. And I think that has made the transition a little bit easier. So to me, I was teaching one hour classes all day long. So to teach 10 minute or 15 minute snippets on YouTube almost wasn't a big transition. In some ways, it was a little bit easier. It's easier, right?
I think what I really had to wrap my mind around was how to do what I did, which again was like an hour. I had hours with people to talk and how to take that into smaller snippets, like how can I give them really valuable content and classes and teaching in shorter amounts of time. Like, how do I do that? So I had to really adjust my own teaching style. And look at what words I was using, the efficiency of my words, the efficiency of time.
And do I get sick of it? No, I really, truly don't because of my audience helps so much to give me ideas. The moment I think I'm, bored of myself, I can't think of a single other idea, my audience will give me 10 that week. And I'm right here in front of me, I have notes like an ongoing list of podcast ideas, as I'm sure you guys do, and video ideas. Because people are always asking him like, that's a great one, that's a great one. And then they give me this idea. And I think oh, I can make three out of that. And I can make it a series. And then I can do this. So once your brain is working that way, I think it's a little bit easier to stay in it.
Lauren
Walk us through your content workflow.
Jessica
So I have two kids, they're five and nine, almost 10. So my workflow really is around them. And that's just me and how it works. So they leave at 8am. And then I leave at 2:30pm to go get them. So my workflow is within that period of time. And that's it. And I try not to film on the weekends, if possible. That doesn't always work. But usually I try not to. So I will always film, so some people will praise batching. And I love the idea of batching. And I don't do it, I can't because I feel like like I said the ideas come in that week, a lot of times from listeners or from my community, and I get really excited about it. And then I take the idea, though, and I say what is all the content I can create around that. For example, so this week, had a podcast episode come up to do a lot with women's health. And it was all about how to actually urinate less frequently during the day and night. And for my brands. that makes sense, if you know, that's not random, but and it was a hugely popular podcast episode.
So by doing it in real time, and I do have an old YouTube video already based on that. So I guess I should go back and say, I knew that was a popular YouTube video I had at talking. It wasn't exercises me talking about it. And it was hugely popular. So I said, I can make a podcast episode now about it. And now I can make my next YouTube video, a follow up to it on how to do the pelvic floor exercises I mentioned in my podcast episode. So I have my next YouTube video done, I haven't filmed it. But it'll be quick because it's in my mind, I got it, it goes with the workflow. And I'll have two weeks worth of content from it.
I can do a real and then I can promote old content I have that relates to this topic for people who are now newly interested in it. So my workflow kind of works more that way on how can I get one to two weeks of content from this and make it into kind of a series that makes sense for people reading and I can keep their attention. Because that's what YouTube wants they right? I mean, they want you to stay there. And so if you can have a few videos that fit into a series that people can batch watch, it's going to help you tremendously.
Phil
Yeah, that's such a smart value. I think as a creator on YouTube is gunning for that retention. I mean, it's actually one of my biggest challenges is to get people to continue watching. I think due to the nature of what I create, it's always not the most visually exciting thing if I'm touring an app for scheduling your content or creating a graphic or whatever. I mean, it can be exciting, but I have to move fast. Otherwise I lose them.
Yours is totally different in the way that people are watching it very intentionally to move or to get ideas on exercise or to literally exercise with you or to learn from you based on what you say. I mean, I have some videos that are like that, but it's totally different. If you're interested in creating on YouTube listener, then we're just because things really important. That's how you make money from ADS is the longer people watch your video the more you make. Way more important the number of views is how long someone watches the video. My ad revenue is fairly small for how many subscribers I have. But my subscriber count goes up pretty quickly in comparison to other creators that are smaller in my range. And then I've got other friends that are in around my range that make way more in ad revenue, but do less brand deals. It's just so interesting how it's one platform, but everyone's business on it is totally different.
Jessica
Yep. And YouTube also really likes a lot of views in the first 24 hours. Yeah, and I have found, I have some that do. And I can kind of predict which ones are going to do that well, but not all of them. Because it's the same idea. Not everyone is ready to do that 15 minute exercise video in the first 24 hours. They're traveling, they're at work, they're doing something else. So my videos don't actually make sense to that. So I will say brands come in, and they're like, We don't like your first, you know, your 24 hour watch views. But it leads to people coming back over and over and over again. Because they bookmark that workout. Right? They subscribe, they bookmark that workout, they love it. And they'll do it for years. And that's the part that still stuns me about YouTube that I will always praise it from the mountaintops because Instagram, everywhere else, it's 24 hours and it's gone. No one is going back to look at your old Instagram posts. No one is looking at your old stuff for evergreen content. But on YouTube, they do.
And so even if a video doesn't do well, right away, like the one I was just mentioning, didn't for six months, it didn't. And then suddenly, my ad revenue popped up. And I had to look and it was this one random video about how to pee less at night had taken off six months later. And it was my top revenue generator for six to eight weeks, at least. So interesting.
So keeping an eye on your stats and what people want. And also just not being afraid if something doesn't look good by the algorithm. You know, your audience. I do know when I put something out there and it flops. I'm like, oh, that surprises me. People didn't watch that. Like I just put a video out on how to exercise for ski season. But it was March ski season is almost over like I knew it's just I just happened to ski and have an injury. So it made sense for me to do it. But no one else had asked for it. It wasn't the right timing. It didn't do well. But it's there on YouTube, and it might pop up again in six months.
You have to listen to your community. I think over sometimes what the algorithm is telling you. Yes, you have to play the game for sure. But like you mentioned earlier, Lauren, your communities the biggest thing, what do they want.
Lauren
Now let's talk about community. Do you try to prioritize getting to know your audience? Or is it just too big for you to even know people on an individual level?
Jessica
So this is the way I described YouTube versus Instagram, because YouTube. Yes, it is big, but it's also just a different animal. Because it's not social media. It's a search engine, the number two biggest search engine in the world. And that's why people are there. So you get comments. But it is really completely different than the commenting in the community and other places, in my opinion. So I describe YouTube, as you are putting out an invitation to a house party. You are having an open house. And YouTube is the place where the invitation goes out where the most people will see it. And so anyone who's possibly interested in meeting you or seeing your open house, they go to YouTube, they RSVP. Then they come in, and whoever stays for that extra hour, right, having that cocktail with you later, whoever stays and asks questions and all that, that's Instagram. Okay, those are the people who you're sitting around the kitchen counter at the end of the night sharing stories. And, you know, they want to know what skincare you use, and they want to know all that they really get to know like, they know my family on Instagram, they know you know, when I have an injury when I have a flare when I'm having pain when they know all of that. And YouTube is really though more to me how you get people in the door to see if they decide if they want to really dive deep and stay or if they're just going to stay surface level.
Phil
Do you ever have days where you just don't feel like posting? Are you just sick of it? Yes, my 20s take a break.
Jessica
Yes, a lot. And some of it's my age, like I'm 45. So I did not start with any of this. I mean, it's still feels new to me. You know, when I started my brick and mortar business, I had a website and that's it. And then Yelp came on like what's Yelp? Oh my gosh, I'm supposed to have a Yelp. What are you talking about? We had nothing. I sold my business and before any of that really even came.
So it still feels new to me. I still feel really private sometimes with it. My eyes get tired of staring at screens. So I really do. And you mentioned this Phil like it's my business. That is what it is. And if Instagram or something like that becomes more than business to me, that's when I need to take a step back and say, Okay, I'm stressed out. I know myself on my nervous system. If I'm scrolling, it's because I'm stressed. I should go do something else instead of scroll. I should go for a walk or something like that.
So I tried just Monday through Friday. I post because it's my job. And it's my first hour of every day, I get kids leave, I get my coffee, I sit down in a specific spot in my office. So my brain is like, oh, it's social media time. I sit there with my coffee, and for an hour, that's what I do. And I post in each place. And I think what's my story going to be today in Instagram stories. I mean, I'm not one of those that just random all day I post this, I'll post this, I really have an idea of what's the story I'm telling today. You know, I'm going to a new trapeze class tonight. So I'm leading up to that story. If I have a plan, it feels more like work, which is just what works for me and my boundaries. I don't think it does for everyone. But with me and young kids and meetings, introverted breaks, sometimes. That's what works for me. And then on the weekend, I get myself a big ol break. And sometimes I post and sometimes I don't. And I'm okay, if I don't.
Lauren
Now you're so sincere, online only to what I love is the person you show up as on YouTube and Instagram is the exact same person as like our one on one status calls. And you've launched your app. And that's another way to monetize and grow your business. Do you feel uncomfortable selling your app? Does it ever feel icky to be selling that extra part of your business?
Jessica
That’s a great question. And I do think a lot of people have to get over that hump. But I got over it a long time ago. So no, not anymore. But I did have to because especially as a physical therapist, we are never told about business. We're not taught about business, we're not taught about how to be business owners, I never wanted to be a business owner. You know, it's a giving health care profession, you don't sell that. I mean, I don't want to sell someone on, you know, having an injury. It's just, it's completely out of what we do. So it did feel really weird to me at first.
And then at some point, I don't know, when I think I just embrace that this is my business. It's what I love to do. And it's how I support my family. Like, I think I realized I'm a big contributor to my family. And I don't need to apologize for that actually, any more. And so I think once you kind of again, own that, and you can decide, it doesn't mean everything has to be for sale. I think that's why like YouTube, also, it's a great way to give free content. So I love that I have both sides, and YouTube will always be there and I won't stop and I'll continue to offer free content, I believe in it. And I believe there are people in the world who need that, who don't have the money to pay for more. So I love having that.
And then you have this other option on how to pay. So it does take a while I think to step into that voice. And so anyone new, it's okay, if it doesn't feel right yet. Just decide what you talk about. Anyway, for me it was physical therapy and Pilates. I mean, I will be at a dinner party. And I'll be like, Oh, you're holding a shoulder weird. What's going on? Did you hurt yourself? Was that? Like, that's what I really talk about.
So I think when you decide what naturally you talk about, it will transition to your audience more when you start to sell something. And I'm always that, like, I actually look for it for people. And maybe it's my curiosity. But I will say I'll be on YouTube sometimes, and somebody who has a million subscribers because I'm always looking like what are they doing? What's different? What's working. So people who are doing really well on YouTube. And I will go and I can't find a website. I can't find a landing page and like, but what do you do? Like I'm actually looking for more like, what do you sell? What can I buy? Because I like what you do, and I want more of it. And I actually can't find it. So I think it's I don't under in that case, it's just me and my brain.
But I don't really understand that. I'm like, is this for fun for you? Is it a business? How are you making money? So I think sometimes people are actually looking for if they really like you and they want more from you. They're gonna look for how to get that, sign up for an email list and buy something they want that so to be scared to give it to him. It's actually doing everyone a disservice.
Phil
Hmm, such a good perspective.
Lauren
Now you love what you do you love pilates, you love physical therapy, you would talk about it all day, if you could at the dinner parties and things like that. For someone who's starting out in content creation. Do you think it's more important for someone to talk about what they're passionate about? Or someone to talk about what they're good at?
Jessica
Oh, what's that paradigm they say are those where those three things intersect? It's what you're good at. You take what you're good at. And then you take what you're passionate about. And then you take what will make money. Yeah, and it's three circles. And wherever those three circles intersect. That's what you should be doing something that you're passionate about, and you're good at and you can make money from.
I just think about that all the time because I think we do, Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote Pray Love. She used to preach to people about finding your passion, find your passion, find your passion, and she says now she's like, I apologize to people for that because it's such a pressure to find your passion and some people don't know what it is. Oh, or you have such a passion for something that you feel like you have to make money from it and you can't.
So I would say what she says. And I just think about this all the time is follow your curiosity. You might not even know what you're passionate about. Yeah, but what are you curious about? And I think it should be something you're probably a little bit good at only because that will be self perpetuating, so that you become better at it, which will give you confidence, basically. So I think it should, I mean, it's a horrible cop out answer, but I think it should probably be some of both. If you don't have passion for it, you won't sustain doing it, you just want. But also, if you have just a little passion and some curiosity, and you're good at it, start and see where it goes. Because your passion actually might increase as your competence in it increases.
Phil
I love that. I think I take for granted sometimes how certain I was about what I knew I wanted to do, even if I didn't know exactly what the path was I not one of those people where it took years to discover what I really love to do, I had some great opportunities that put it right in front of me. So I take that for granted a little bit. Or maybe I'm not as sensitive to like the fact that for some people, they haven't had those opportunities, and they have to kind of live in this area of uncertainty. That's really great.
Jessica
And I think you don't have to love every piece about it either. I don't always love every part of what I do. I don't love social media still, and some people do. And I don't, but I understand how it helps. And I am grateful for it every day because it's my job. And I think that's okay. I've let myself off the hook that I don't have to love it. But I need to treat it like a business. And I need to appreciate it and give it the time it needs. So sometimes we need to give ourselves a break. But we don't have to love every aspect of it. But when you think of it like a business, you can delegate if it's something you don't like, or yeah, if you're just starting out and you can't delegate yet, then just say, these are the things I love to do. And these are the things I have to do. And they don't have to match up all the time. And I have to get them done. By the end of the day. I want a successful business.
Phil
What is your advice for someone that wants to treat it like a business, but it doesn't make money yet? So it's hard to because you have to pay rent. I think about that often. And I wonder what you think about that. For me. I mean, I had much more. I had many more expenses than I had her, you know, money coming from it.
Jesica
I think that's hard. So I had my brick and mortar studios. And that's what I thought I'd do forever. We had a staff of 19 and everything. And then we had our daughter and we moved to the mainland. So both of those things just changed my life perspective and decided to sell the businesses. And I had no idea what I was going to do. I mean, online wasn't even an option for me. I didn't even know how you would do health or Pilates online. That wasn't even a thing really then. But I did I had a little bit of a cushion. And so it made it really lucky because we had sold the studios. So I said I have a year, I think I have a year to decide. And I dove into online business courses and everything to try to figure out if I could make it happen.
So just to say that is a really privileged perspective, because you're right, most people don't have that. I think you can like to me if it is a similar business, so I owned my studios, but I had started to think it might have to break off on my own at some point. I think you can just start to entertain that and see what it looks like. For me, it was just a year of what does it feel like if my business is named Jessica Valant. Instead of the name of my studio, like what does that feel like if I'm doing it on my own? And what would it look like? And can I write a blog? So that's I really did free content for a long time. I just wrote a blog, and I started putting up YouTube videos without having any idea how it was gonna monetize. So I think you can do it while you still have a job. I mean that to don't put the added financial pressure on yourself. But yeah, at some point, you do have to take a little bit of a leap and say, Is this gonna work? I don't know. Yeah. Because we don't know. Sometimes we really don't.
Phil
Yeah, I think you need to create that cushion. Because you can't expect it to deliver instantly. You need a cushion that's going to enable you to invest some time some money into it, because I also wouldn't have been able to launch if I didn't have another job.
Jessica
Yeah. And I think I mean, just realistically, I was looking at my financials, I feel like it took three years for me to reach the salary I was making, paying myself when I was when I owned my brick and mortar studios. When I had my actual job, I think it took me three years of owning my own to reach that salary. And that was a huge milestone for me. I remember thinking yes, okay, I got here. I matched my salary, but it's not overnight. It really isn't. It doesn't have to be social media. And that's like your numbers on social media. I mean, they don't have to go high right away. It is much more important, I think to have an email list. Take any warm market you have and be talking to them every single week. Find out what they want, create a product for them. Don't expect your first sales to come from a new social media account. I don't think it does. I think that's your free You hate come and meet me Come and meet me Come and meet me. It's not your sales are gonna come from your warm market, your friends are the people you already know or whatever.
Lauren
Yeah, we have a lot of introductory calls or even brand audits where someone will have been working really, really hard on a course or a book. They're like it's coming out next month, I'm ready to solid on social media. And they don't have a social media presence. They haven't been warming people up for a long time. And so I think it's really refreshing to hear that, given the amount of immense, like, unbelievable success that you have achieved online, it's really kind of nice to hear that it took years for you to start actually feeling like you were on the right track.
Jessica
Oh, for sure. And my YouTube, I've been there 10 years now. And the growth really happened. It does happen if you believe in what you're doing. And I will say sometimes I don't stay like Lauren, I'm so sorry. I have not been on Tik Tok at all. And I'm still there. And I have a presence. And so I did I was I was somewhat consistent. I didn't try my hardest, but I did try for a while. But a few you know a few things. It wasn't, I didn't take the time to understand it. So I realized to really understand it, I need to do more research. I don't have the capacity for that right now. But I'm going to put it over on this page to do when I have the capacity. I think we try things thinking oh, it should be easy. People have a million followers on Tiktok, I should be able to do that. Everyone says I should do that.
So we jump in for three weeks give up because nothing happened. And we never go back. And that is the mind frame, you have to get out of. You really have to put in the time and research. What do hashtags mean? And when's the best time to post? And how often do I post and you have to comment, I believe, at least on Instagram, this is how I built mine, you have to comment on other people's posts. And you have to DM people to say I really like your content. Thank you and you have to share I mean it is it is a full time job or a part of your full time job.
So saying that to say don't get discouraged if it doesn't work right away, because it probably won't, it takes just nose to the ground, you got to keep going at it. And also if there's a platform that doesn't resonate with you, that's okay, pick one or two, and put your eggs in that basket to start and go for it. And then also have an email list 100% You don't own your social media, it can go away anytime. But you own your email list.
Phil
Yep. It's such good advice. We feel like we need to be everywhere. But I have a similar experience with TikTok. I also think it's important, you're used to like a bit more structured produce content on YouTube. And so tick tock is basically saying, Don't do that. If you want to be successful over here. It's horizontal video, make it vertical. Those standards you have get rid of them. That equipment you have, you don't need it,
Jessica
Learn how to put the Mandalorian dude eating a sandwich over your video and like, anyone know how to do that.
phil
I don't want Oh, no, I'm not gonna spend minutes of my day doing that. I don't respond well to that. And it makes me sound kind of old. It just it does not natural for me. And honestly, I don't have time to fully immerse. It doesn't come easy or naturally. And I don't have time.
jessica
Yeah. And the reason it didn't work as me and I totally take that on and yeah, exactly when I have the capacity or if I will do it. I'm not gonna say it didn't work. It was just me not. It's not in my business plan right now. Maybe quarter four, but not quarter. What are we into now? And also decide where your audience is. Because if my audience was on TikTok, I would 100% Try, like, be like, I need to be here. But I almost feel like recently, Pinterest might even be more. And I don't know if I'm going back to Pinterest. But again, being a search engine and my demographic is women, typically over the age of 45. All the way to 75. Are they on TikTok? I don't know. Maybe, but not a lot. They're probably over on Pinterest. So that's something that maybe I should try again. So just know where your audience is. And that will help as well.
phil
It's so funny that you mentioned Pinterest. I actually typed the word Pilates in on Pinterest. Within 30 seconds of this podcast starting just curious to see what would come up and if I would see your content on Pinterest. I expect it to be there. I think that's a really good one for you.
jessica
Yeah, I do too. I did back in the day. And it was searchable. I mean, Pinterest, too, for a certain demographic that is searchable content that they use like Google. Yeah. And it really is for exercises for recipes for DIY. And for home improvement. People are going to Pinterest. And I guess that's another good point. And something I always have to remember. Just because it doesn't make sense to me, doesn't mean my audience isn't there. Like I never go to Pinterest board, anything. I don't know how to do a mood board. I don't know how to do any of that. It's just not how my brain works. But that doesn't mean it's not important. It means that I'm not there, but I'm not my customer. necessarily know who your customers are and where they are.
Lauren
Since we did your brand audit about a year and a half ago, I think you've grown 150,000 subscribers on YouTube. Is that true? Has anything changed?
jessica
I think, well, my husband likes to say it's the hockey stick effect, because he's a math statistics guy. And apparently, that's the way the chart goes. Okay, so I always do remember that when you first start out your way down here and your growth is like you can barely see it, barely see it. And that was me probably for years and years, but it's growing a little bit. And then it kind of starts to take off. And it does that. And apparently, it's shaped like a hockey stick. Because that is a good thing to remember. Because growth isn't like this typically. And even if you have something go viral, which is great. And I look at that, too, because I'm always so curious, when I see things with hundreds of 1000s of views, and they went viral. Their followers didn't necessarily go up there subscribers didn't like being viral on one post doesn't always translate to follow or sticking around. So sometimes that slow, steady growth is a really important time. So I think that might be some of it. And I think it's YouTube. Also, the longer you stick around, and I think the more consistent you are, they are just going to feed your content to other people more. That's a big thing. I guess it's all social media. But YouTube, that's a big one, you want to be in there recommended, where they recommend you to other people. So I think that started happening more. And it all just feeds together. So I don't have an exact answer, except I think it's a combination of all those things. When you're patient and consistent. Something will happen eventually. Who knows what but something, something, something.
phil
It's inspirational to just hear from your perspective, people might look at what you have and what you've built and go oh, God, I could never do that. But this conversation is hopefully a humble reminder that yeah, you probably can do it. It just it takes time. Yep. A lot of to make sure it's something that you're going to enjoy. Because it's not going to happen right away. Or don't expect it to a could happen faster, but don't expect it to you have to enjoy the process.
Jesssica
I think what helped me also was I always knew, I always, always said YouTube is icing on the cake for me, like whatever ad revenue I get whatever else I get from YouTube is icing on the cake. It's like fun money always. I always remembered what my main goal was, which is to use it as a driver to my website for people to become a member in my community, because that's the bread and butter of what I do. And that's the main product I sell.
So knowing why you use it is really helpful too. Because that helped me know okay, my numbers might not be big my Avenue, my ad revenue went down this month, there's nothing I can do YouTube change this and this and this, you can't control that. But if you're consistent and your voice is consistent, and you are truly trying to help and speak to your community, then you understand why you're using it, it will continue to be successful. And again, your success isn't always money or subscribers. To me. It's How many members do I have in my community? So I keep my eye on that that helps to
Phil
Genius. Where can people get more from you speaking of your community?
Jessica
I'm jessicavalantpilates everywhere. Instagram, website and YouTube are the biggest places you go to my website. I have a lot of free resources there for Women's Health specifically and workouts and workout programs. And then Instagram, you'll see me talking about lots of things I try and trapeze class the other day. And then YouTube will be where you find all my workouts.
phil
Oh my god, this website is so beautiful. Who designed it? I love photography is amazing. The brand is amazing. The brand is fun, but it's also it's not serious. But it's like it reminds people to take you seriously. But also you don't take yourself too seriously. It's just like wonderful tropical. Take me to Hawaii balance of all of the things that are you. I especially love your iconography. It's so clean and simple. People should definitely go check out your site.
We love you. We'll chat with you soon. It's been a pleasure to have you on Brand Therapy.
jessica
You too. Thanks for having me.
phil
Jessica, you know you're one of our favorites. Thank you so much for an awesome conversation. We loved it, listener we hope you did as well. If so, show us leave us a review in Apple podcasts five star five star that helps other people discover this podcast and we work hard to create. We'll see you back next week and we're looking forward to it right here on Brand Therapy.
