It means the world to me that you take the time to open up this email.

Respond to this email with what you are working on - I want to meet everyone that is here.

To everyone that signed up this past week, welcome to the community. We are so happy to have you here!

In this newsletter, you’ll find:

🙏 Focusing on work when no one is watching

😀 Creating content like an athlete

🔥 Latest updates in DTC and social media

🎧 Brand new episode with Erin Fasano

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Focus on your work, even when no one is watching

This morning I finished the book, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown about the nine Americans from the University of Washington who won Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

As I was on the verge of tears drinking my morning coffee, I knew I needed to write something different in this newsletter for you.

This week, I have felt a shift in social media and maybe the future of marketing.

Facebook has taken over the world, changed the geopolitical landscape, affected our mental health, and now is creating a metaverse.

Things are changing, and social media is turning into something beyond posting a few pictures.

What I want you to do is throw out all of the headlines.

Who cares about the metaverse and whatever else is going on with the different platforms.

We need to focus on your company and the story that you are telling.

Social media, advertisement platforms, and the world have constantly been changing, but the thing that is the same throughout time is telling a brand's story.

The goal is to help you build your company by telling the brand's story via photos and videos.

It is easy to freak out about algorithms and headlines, but a great story transcends all of the noise.

At the end of the book, Brown writes that the boys on the boat rowed approximately 4344 miles to race only 28 miles in 4 years.

The boys who rowed devoted themselves to training thousands of miles only to race a few.

Content creation is the same.

You will spend a lot of time planning, creating, and editing, only to make one post.

It can feel lonely, or maybe it feels like it's not worth it anymore.

Don't give up.

Let's talk about making your creation process great even when no one is watching.

Research what is working

Every athlete spends time reviewing footage of themselves playing and of the opposite team playing. They want to know how to improve their skills and understand what to watch out for with a specific opponent.

You need to review other content.

Don't consume passively because then you just are wasting time.

Take notes while you look at content.

Ask yourself what is working about this video or why the photo is compelling.

Then start to figure out how you could create that for yourself.

Take time to review your own content - what could you improve on?

Nobody will see this part of the creation process, but you need to do this to better create content for your brand.

Give yourself the time to create

Filming and taking photos just takes a lot of time.

Period.

There is no way to rush this process.

People will quickly see a photo in a feed that may have taken you 15 minutes to set up. Most people will see that 15 minutes and say, "not worth it."

People who succeed at creating content will see the 15 minutes and say, "Is there more that I can do to make this shot better."

If you want to make great content, give yourself the time and space to create and play with ideas.

Rushed content might work, but to be the best, you must focus on giving yourself space to create.

The boys in the boat gave themselves time to practice and row even though they had schoolwork and other responsibilities that come with living in the 1930s versus the luxurious 2020s.

The difference is not giving up

Do not give up.

You and I - we are different than the rest.

We don't give up, and I won't let you give up when creating content for your brand.

The boys on the boat were behind in most races, but they would surge ahead to win at the end. They never gave up.

You might be feeling that you are behind, but you are just where you need to be.

Content creation can be challenging because you spend so much time for maybe a minimal result.

The minimal result is only short-term because long-term, this effort compounds into something extraordinary.

Most podcasts never get past episode 7.

Most people start making videos and stop after a few.

Not giving up even when it is hard will make a difference for your content.

I see your work. I know you are working hard. You wouldn't be reading this newsletter if you didn't want to get better at your craft and job.

Showing up here to learn is a massive step.

I want you to know that I am rooting for you. Respond and let me know what you are working on so I can support you.

Keep Creating!

Matthew Gattozzi

In Other News

 📊 Instagram Adds New Data Analytics to Provide More Performance Insight for Marketers

🛍️ YouTube Launches New Live Shopping Events, New Updates for CTV Campaigns

🎼 Spotify partners with Shopify to add merch to artists’ profiles

👍 Instagram will let users co-author posts and share likes

🤯 Facebook is planning to rebrand the company with a new name

💻 Instagram Will Enable Users to Upload Photos and Videos via Desktop from This Week

How to Succeed in Retail through Story with Erin Fasano

As humans, we connect with one another through stories. Since the beginning of time, stories are what brings people together. Stories are also what attract consumers to brands. Knowing what story to tell and how to tell it is not easy at the beginning. It takes asking customers questions, testing, and retesting to craft the story that connects consumers with your brand.

Today’s guest is Erin Fasano, The Co-Founder of Starryside Company, VP of Strategy and Innovation at CORE FOODS, as well as Managing Editor of Startup CPG.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How to craft your brand story

• How to get market research from customers

• Best practices with marketing for products in retailers