Transcript
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Kwame
Hey, everybody, welcome to Beyond Influence. Today we are very, very fortunate to be graced by Lindsey Vonn Bremer, who is also an influence through her pet. So I guess that's a pet influencer manager. And, Lindsay's dog is PardonThyFrench, who has gained quite a substantial following through social media. And so, when Lindsay reached out, I was very excited to learn a little bit more about what goes into everything.
Hey, Lindsay, how are you today?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Hi. We're doing good, doing good, and excited to be here. Thank you.
Kwame
For sure. and, hey, Scott as well, not to leave you aside. It's like my co-host. Let's forget about that guy. How are you doing, Scott?
Scott
I'm good. It's, No, it's a good week. yeah. Cranking through stuff. Really excited to talk about, pardon my French. I scroll through the channel and I think I got lost for half an hour watching dog videos. So it's always a joy to get to scroll a channel that you like.
Kwame
Well, Lindsay, I think the best way to get started is always to just kind of open up and figure it out. And, what helped you get your start? I think you've kind of previewed a little bit about how this whole, you know, operation started and everything, but how did you get started in thinking that your dog was going to be a famous dog?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. Well, I didn't really start off thinking that my dog would be a famous dog. So we've been doing this for eight years. So it was kind of, you know, at the start of this kind of stuff, for, for animals at least. And, I had, let's see, how do I say this nicely?
All of my friends started having kids, and, so, like, this is before the mute button is, on, social media, on Instagram specifically. And so, like, they'd be, like, posting their kids all the time, you know, like, everything. And, Yeah, that's fine, but you can't, like, unfollow your friend, but it'd be like, hey, you know, it's.
So when I got death, I noticed myself doing the same thing, and I was like, you know what? I'll just make it her own page. And it's more of an opt-in situation for my friends. Like, I'm not going to know if someone doesn't follow me, I don't care. Like, I would get it. Like, you know, I wouldn't follow people's dogs back then either.
I actually didn't follow any dogs back then. So yeah. So I just did it for myself when we started off. I first a lot, you know, because like, here was this, like, really cute white, three-legged French bulldog. And then I'd have to say something kind of crude in the comments. So it, like, made people kind of go, wait, what, you know, or like really dirty music.
So the juxtaposition I think caught people's eye. But it wasn't until we got reposted I was working in the snow, I was doing freelance. I do digital marketing. I've been doing it for 20 years. And so at that point in time, I was making lookbooks for a brand called Snow Peak. And I live in Portland, Oregon.
And so, I snuck out on my lunch break and went and adopted Beth and then snuck her back into the store. and so we had a lot of fun with her there, and it was really great. And they were awesome about me having her at work. But we were, you know, working in these close quarters.
And then one day, one of my girlfriends was like, hey, when did you get 500 followers? And I was like, what are you talking about? I'd like, you know, 20 maybe. I was like, what are you talking about? And then it was like, every time we refreshed, there was like 100, 100, 100, 100. And what had happened was I started asking people, hey, you know, how'd you find us?
And there was a windstorm in Portland. and I had taken Beth out and had put a lion mane on her and put a slow motion, you know, video to it. And this account, out of Mexico or South Africa, I can't quite remember, called, black tiger, white jaguar. That's totally not the name. I will send it to you so we can, you know, get this.
That's awful. But, they had reposted they had, like, millions of followers and so, that people, you know, found us from there. And then I kind of was like, Oh, I get it. So I want to be posted on someone else's page, you know? So then I started, you know, tagging bigger accounts like Dogs of Instagram, Rescue Pets of Instagram.
And then they started to see my stuff and then reposting and reposting it. And it just kind of took off, you know, took off from there.
Scott
That's awesome. And, maybe tell us a, I think you have two dogs now, maybe talk us through, you know, your pets and kind of. Yeah. I'm curious about the adoption story. You said, you know, a three-legged, French bulldog and so, yeah, maybe. What are the backstories of the two dogs? And, how long have you had them?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. So, like I said, I was working in digital marketing, so I was, you know, doing a lot of branding out, like Facebook pages and stuff like that. And I had my cousin, my cousin worked at one of the rescues and was like, hey, we need a logo. And I was like, all right. So I just, like, made him a logo.
And I started following them on all their socials. And then all of a sudden, one day Beth came to my feed and I was just, like, imprinted on this dog. She was so cute. She had four legs and the other one was kind of janky. And, they were fundraising for her to have her leg removed because she was found on the side of the road, and she had a big Marcel tumor in her back left paw.
So someone had just kind of dumped her. and I was like, well, oh my gosh, you have three legs. Now I want even more. Right? And so I just like, really like went hard into, like trying to get this dog. I was like, I'll do whatever you guys want. Do you guys want me to make you a website?
I'll make you a website. Like, how do I get to the front of this line? And so I did. I ended up making them a website and helping them out with some marketing stuff. And, they gave me that and that was awesome. And so it was kind of like it took off from there. I took her everywhere with me when I first got her, you know, I was single.
I lived on my own. I worked freelance, I was already working from home or once in a while in an office. but I could always bring her, and I would take her everywhere with me, and I would just film everything. I saw everything like a scene. Like we got up in the morning. That's our scene, you know, we went to lunch.
That's our scene. We went to dinner. That's our scene. You know, we like chilling, having, you know, wine and watching TV at night. Like, that's our scene. Like, we did a lot of videos, like, all day long. because I was alone, you know, it was like, now it's a different one. Like, I have, you know, a boyfriend.
And, now it's like, not so much, but, you know, I get enough in there. I try to get up, like, you know, 2 or 3, at least minimum stories a day. It may not be like a full post, but I'll at least like people will know what we're doing. So yeah, that's how I got the best.
And then I had another dog that I, we got during Covid from a rescue down in California at the Knockout Blueberry Rescue named Doc, and he was a cleft palate and he's passed away. But he was a lot of fun. And then we just got a little Billie Holiday. So we named Doc Holliday Doc Holliday because Doc Holliday, the actual cowboy, was a dentist and he had a cleft palate, so we thought that was funny.
And then Billie Holiday, obviously the singer, and then like paying respect to Doc. That's how we got that name. And she's great. She's from a rescue up here in Eugene, Oregon. And her kind of story was her dad is her brother. So all these dogs are wonky, you know, like that's what I love. That's what I get, you know, like, I'm not going.
I'm not going to go, you know, to the breeder for French bulldogs and get, you know, a dog from one of them. There's so many, you know, since French bulldogs became like the most popular dog, a lot of really bad breeding operations going on because they're expensive dogs and people want that, but they're not going through all the efforts of, you know, making the dogs properly.
I guess you could say, the lack of better terms. But, so a lot of them come out, you know, unhealthy. And so instead of, you know, getting a dog from a breeder or that could also be, you know, unhealthy because you never know, we like to get the ones that need help because thankfully, with my platform, we're able to do stuff like that, you know, so we publicize every part of like our health journey with the dogs, both Beth and Billy.
Because it's really good information for people who have been in these situations and don't know what to do. Like, here's what we've done. Beth has had a lot of health problems. our previous dog, doc, had a ton. And, you know, Billy, Billy's so far so good. You know, you know. Well, well. And bread and bread, but so far, so good.
Kwame
That's, you know, I admire that. I admire that you're making sure that all dogs are cared for in this sense, where you're not just going on putting the highest dollar on one that you want to get, but really looking for dogs out there that might have been ignored or left behind. I really think that's a special trait within a human being to care about that.
You know, I think it's funny that you did mention, you know when you were trying to start your journey that you would curse a little bit. And that may not have exactly been, you know, that's personality, you know, so I'd love to know how, you know, what are the personalities of your dogs right now? And how do you show that to the people when you're, you know, putting pictures or videos out?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. So Beth is just like a cranky old lady, you know, picture her smoking for 80 years like that surviving, you know, and she's just always annoyed with me. Always, like South and off to me. And, that's kind of like what we put out there, you know? And people have been following us for so long that, you know, they do know her personality, which is kind of a crazy thing to feel like you don't know what's going on, but actually, yeah, a lot of people do get it, you know, and they'll be like, she doesn't like that.
She doesn't like what you're doing. And I'm like, oh yeah, thanks. But yeah. So she's just kind of a cranky old lady. So like, that's how things like her captions and kind of storyline, you know, goes out there. Billy's a wild animal. She's just getting bigger and bigger every day. And she's just like a goofy kid, you know?
And that's that's her thing currently. Just, like, annoying and annoying, like a little sister.
Kwame
That is super cool. I think trying to relate to the people who are within your audience, within the dog’s audience, by portraying who the dog is. Sure. Yeah. The personification of that is actually pretty hilarious to me.
Scott
You know, I'm curious. You know, you talked about growing your follower count almost by accident and getting picked up, and then, you know, realizing that there's something here, you know, what were your initial approaches, to growing the account? And, you know, you mentioned getting tagged by bigger accounts. Was there a trial and error process and kind of was there a point where you're like this, I'm going to take it more seriously?
I'm going to lean into this, there's potential to grow this. You know, far beyond just the follower count and really turn it into something bigger. I'm kind of curious what the big milestones were on that journey and, you know, some of the setbacks and approaches you took.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. So, you know, other than tagging accounts, we do a lot of collaborations with other dogs, influencers, you know, like with collaborative posts or giveaways. but I had hit like 30,000 followers pretty quickly. And at that point, there was an agency that reached out to us, and took us on as their client, and kind of that's where the actual, like making money.
Part of it, like started for me and I was like, okay, you know, and I think Nickelodeon was our first client, you know, which is a pretty big first client. Yeah. You know, from zero to Nickelodeon. I was like, okay. And so that's when it kind of hit me that, you know, this is cool. But then shortly after we got flown out to New York to speak at a conference, for these dogs, and I had made a, you know, I made a website immediately for my dog because I'm a nerd, and connected it to a dropship or printful.
And this is like, kind of when they were data, they were just first starting. But I didn't have the money to, like, make a thousand t-shirts that people would be like, hey, we want both t-shirts, you know? And I'd be like, oh, okay, so I did that and I just started making all this like apparel.
And my agency at the time was like, you know, don't waste your time on that. No one's going to buy it. It's not like a big, you know, a big thing. And I'm like, well, okay. But it's also free and easy and I have fun doing it. And so I had shown up in New York to go to this conference, and there were probably like 50 people wearing our stuff, which is a lot, you know, like one person wearing our t-shirt would have been really cool.
But like, there was at least like people had leggings on headbands, like the whole, you know, the whole gamut. And like, that's when it really kind of meant for me because that's when I first saw fans, you know, like in Portland, when I would be walking downtown, I'd get a hug once in a while. And Beth, as we'd like, went by and was like, yeah, you know, like or at the bar or something like that, like that was really fun.
But it was really when we went to New York and, you know, went to this conference that like, it became real because when you're behind a screen, it's just kind of like you don't know, you know, and, but when you see people like freaking and shaking out when they, like, come to meet you, it's super cute.
And it's like, it's really endearing, you know, to see these people of all ages, you know? So that's where that's when I really kind of kicked in for me.
Kwame
Yeah. I think it's hilarious. when you bring up the, like, the things that happen in your hometown, I always, I have this feeling of like, how big I am, where I am, and then how big I am everywhere else. Right? And I've had some pretty cool moments, like where I was, I think we were in Greece once and somebody, like, ran up to us and wanted a picture and stuff, and that's cool and all.
But in Greece, I can be semi-recognizable.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Okay.
Kwame
In Seattle it's unbelievable. And so that's like that's something that I notice with creators. It feels like being in your hometown is always a completely different feeling. You know when you're recognized there's like your hometown hero.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Well, I say I'm not a hometown hero by any means, but I definitely think, I mean, people love that for sure. But, I think, you know, going to New York was big because that's one of the biggest Frenchie places, New York in LA. And so I, there before Covid, we'd go down to L.A. quite a bit to do stuff. You know, we do big events or like little, little gigs down there.
And people knew her more down in LA than they went tonight than they do up here in Portland. So that was always fun. Like seeing someone on the plane being like, oh my God, you know, it's crazy. Or like Real Housewives coming to like, sit in line to meet Beth. It was wild to me as well.
Scott
One thing I have noticed, kind of digging into some of the, you know, Pat kind of creator and, Pat accounts is the most successful ones also have an interaction with their owner or the family, and it's that kind of dynamic and that relatability of, both the pet owner and the pet that makes it really endearing.
And, so I'm curious, like, aside from Beth and Billy, you're also putting yourself out there to an extent, you know, as Lindsay. How did you know? Was that a process of, like, being vulnerable and putting yourself out there worrying about, you know, putting yourself out there to all these followers or it was kind of more organic and just happened from the beginning.
I'm curious kind of for you as part of that. What was your journey like? How did you feel about that as things started to develop?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah, it happened organically, at first because I would put myself on a lot when I kind of first started because I'd hold her and talk to her or like, we'd be out somewhere, and I'd be, like, talking to people. I used to have this hashtag, Beth loves boys. And we were like, you know, muscles, guys.
I'd be like, oh, excuse me, can you hold this for a moment? Like some cute guy or whatever? And like, my friends thought that was funny. We'd filmed the whole thing, you know, it's like just me trying to, like, go talk to some guy. You know, I'm the youngest of three girls, and there isn't something that my sisters have not said to me, so I won't be there if I don't take it.
It's fine if someone wants to make fun of me. Quite honestly, it's more something for us to make content out of, right? Like, there's this one where I was talking a lot and some girls said that, like, my voice gave them gas, you know? So then it's like, it's funny because then I can screenshot.
I put it in our stories. People love it. I made a T-shirt out of it, Bobby. Blah. and it's good, you know, it's it's it's whatever. I don't I don't really get a lot of crap anymore. but I'm not in it as much, you know, I'm in it when I do brand stuff because we got to do, like, voiceovers.
I have to be, like, talking, depending on who the client is. But a lot of the time now, I just kind of, like, you know, Beth is getting older, so there's like a shift in, like, what we're doing. so I don't take her out, like, into the public. We've moved the country, you know, since Covid, like a lot of people.
And, so we're not, like, out in the public a lot, so I don't it's hard for me to think of ways to put myself into it. Other than just talking to her like, well, I'm holding the camera, right? Other than, like when we're in and like an ad. So I'm kind of mostly just like that.
I don't purposely go out of my way to put myself in as much, you know, anymore. I feel like I feel more silly about it now than when I first started.
Scott
Yeah, it's interesting how that is.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Evolves over time. Yeah, yeah. Like at first, like I didn't care, I didn't care, like if like, people thought I looked stupid. Who knew me, you know, because I'd be like, well, that's funny. Look what I'm doing. Oh, yeah.
Kwame
You know. Yeah, that's actually funny. I think, that would be a superpower that just about any influencer or creator would love to absorb is the ability to take someone trolling you or making fun of you and turn that into something positive. oh my goodness. If I could do that, I would. I'd be worth a lot more money.
Let's just say. it's. Yeah, it can get pretty crazy out in the internet streets. And so I do think finding a good way to cope with it or heal or like, learn from it is really, really positive. And if you can turn that into ammo, that's great. You know, I think, with everything that we're hearing about Beth and, and kind of how things started, you know, you landed Nickelodeon to start off with, right?
How have the deals kind of, you know, matriculated since then? What would you say is, you know, one of your favorite companies or a few favorite companies or organizations that you've worked with since then?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. Let's see. The Farmer's Dog is a really great company that we've been working with for a long time. And you know what's really cool about it is dog food, right? We do a lot of things other than dog stuff, but what I really loved about working with them is like, that when you take Beth on as a client, you're taking on a dog who's different.
And so that really means a lot about your brand. You know, she is an amputee. So there's, like, a visual difference. She is a French bulldog. And which, you know, a lot of people. Have their own thoughts on the making of a French bulldog, you know, but they're the most popular breed, and they are the most or one of the most, like our like, they have so many problems and allergies and stuff.
And so a food brand, knowing that like, that's a smart move on their, you know, part and say, hey, this works for Beth. and, you know, having partners like that where it gets kind of like, you know, going back to putting yourself out there, I know it's when we do a brand deal whereas things can get like where I really want to be sassy because that's when people will say stuff because they don't know Beth, they don't know our story or whatever.
So like, the comments can get a little, they can get kind of crude, you know, like, I had one guy telling me that he wanted to kick her into an alligator pit, you know? Oh my goodness, I know it's crazy. And so but like, when you're working with a brand, you can't, like, I can't, like, get in there and say stuff, right?
Yeah. So that's kind of like where that would be if you want to get back to like putting yourself out there, that's probably the hardest part for me is because I do want to mouth off, but I don't sometimes I have a friend do it for me, but, Yeah. So that's fun. But working with the farmer's dog has been really there.
Really great company to work for. I have a lot of fun working with Cooper. So, they have a pet line, and their marketing is so funny. just, like, around the home, going to the bathroom and smelling and stuff. And so they're a fun company to work with. We work a lot.
The fabric softener, they have a line that keeps hair off your clothes. So you throw the fabric sheet into the dryer, and it helps, like, one take, pair off, and then also, like, make it so that you can just, like, wipe off your shirt, which is cool. But again, like, what makes it awesome for these kinds of clients is that they're taking a chance with Beth.
You know, it's just not like any other golden retriever. You know, where they all kind of look the same if you're signing Beth, people know her because there isn't another dog that looks like her. so. So, yeah. So I always respect that people who want to continue to work with us, you know, as well, because it's funny, the, what I put on our feed versus like, what I'll make and like a full edited like brand video is very different.
You know, what I put on my feed is basically Beth, like making a face movement. And I'm like, putting a caption to it because she's white and you can really see, like her eyebrow movement and stuff. but then, you know, when I go into because I've just been in the field for so long and, photo editing, voiceover is, you know, captions and all that stuff and, like, doing different, like, transitions or green screens is like stuff that I already know how to do.
So when I'm working with a brand, it is fun to kind of like, explore and be able to do that kind of stuff because it doesn't work really well on my feet if I just do it in a casual video, you know, and I'm not going to sit and dance with Beth. You know, there are things that I'm like, I'm too old for that.
Scott
That's awesome. Actually, The Farmer's Dog is a great brand. randomly, one of my good friends from middle school is the SVP of brand Marshall Ball at the Farmer's Dog. And so when he started there, I went on this whole journey of seeing their product in a kind of swarm, natural dog food and, yeah, small world.
Definitely, also Portland, Portland-based, but it's interesting you talk about, some of the kind of production around, making videos and, you know, I see people go a lot of different styles where they go, okay, I'm just gonna use my phone and kind of go my low budget route, or they go full on Instagram filters, and they're buying high-end cameras and I guess what was your approach to doing, you know, ever go down the high production route or, you know, dive into that or, or do you feel like, you know, just with a phone and kind of a spontaneous moment, you're able to capture the same? I'm curious. Like the whole process behind the content creation.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Depends on the budget.
Kwame
Yeah, yeah.
Lindsay Van Bramer
So I can kind of go both, like I can do, I can do it all off my phone. Or, you know, I'm blessed. My partner does, like, Super Bowl commercials, so we have access to the best of the best things, you know if need be. But obviously, that's where your budget, like a tire, depends on the kind of content.
But what I find is people brands are wanting raw content, you know, more. UGC is style. So the nicer it is more it's like people kind of keep going, you know, they want it to be like a little shaky and like, the, you know, the captions to be like, some weird font, you know, to where, like, I wouldn't do them very clean, like, lines in my design, but, when I do it on there, I have to, like, kind of almost like, make it, like I'm just teaching myself how to do this, you know?
So it's kind of fun, you know, depending. Like, I always ask, like, I'm like, okay, do you guys have any keywords? Do you want me to put it in there? And they're like, you? What? You know, like there's like these things that like, they're like, oh, yeah, sure we do. Like, I can tell the brand person is like, yeah, we have keywords that are over here, you know, so I can go, you know, high level or mid-level or low or low.
It just kind of depends on what they want to get out of the campaign, you know? So it's like, what are your goals for the campaign and how do you know where you want it to lie? Do you want it on your website? You know, could this possibly be going on TV like that, you know, there's always those, you know, kind of, variables that we can accommodate for depending on what they, what they want.
Kwame
As you get these, you know, offers, and these possible partnerships, do you have a process that you use to kind of choose which ones you want to work with? And have you ever turned down, you know, a deal that was sizable but maybe didn't exactly fit what you invested, you know, are you used to or like?
Lindsay Van Bramer
yeah, for sure. You know, like, if it's if it's a brand that, you know, the product maybe has a ton of chemicals in it, I'm not. I'm not doing it. if it's not something that I wouldn't actually use for both, like in the earlier days, I would. I'm like, that's cool. Sure. Whatever. I'd do anything anybody gave me.
But now I just like people who really take into account what we say and the products that we suggest, you know, so I don't want to suggest something that, you know, might give a dog a reaction or like, makes them give them an upset stomach. I look and see who they've worked with before. I have looked and looked and looked and seen who might own them.
You know, like, depending on how deep I want to go and, like, where we are in the state of the world, but, yeah, I definitely don't take just like anybody. It's something that I want to believe in. And, I want people to know, that there are more than ones that I want to go for, you know, at the stage of where we are at.
Kwame
As you start to get more selective, and as you pick these brands, I think one thing that I always try to ask our guests is, do you have a goal or a dream brand to work with that you've not worked with yet?
Lindsay Van Bramer
I always thought it would be cool. I would love to get an airline deal, right? Like we Delta, obviously. But, I think.
The airlines are opening up to animals more, you know, what kind of COVID of like really stopped. People were bringing like, you know, like peacocks on the plane and stuff and seeing their very emotional support animals, really. But, and then there was the, you know, there was a phase where, like, there were a couple of situations where like a dog died on board because the stewardess, you know, for instance, one like had to go in the overhead compartment and the lady put her dog in the overhead compartment and the dog died.
Right. So I feel like the airline industry has been doing a little bit of, damage control in that aspect, and now they're really coming around to being more accommodating for, animals and people traveling with animals, because people are getting more animals and they love them and they don't want to, you know, travel a lot of times without their animals.
I mean, you know, I could say the same with hotels. You'll see a lot of hotels that are now more pet-friendly because people don't want to leave their animals at home. And so obviously, you know, you got to shift and accommodate for that. You know, like, we'll go to a hotel and they'll be like, oh, do you have a dog?
Give me a bed. We'll have a bed. They'll have treats or bowls. I have like the whole, the whole like nine yards for them, which you know, ten years ago they didn't do that. Five years ago they didn't do that.
Kwame
Yeah. That shift has been huge. Nowadays, you know, I walked into a dog-dating situation once I got married. And so I'm cognizant of that, just about any time that I go online to book us a hotel. Because if we're thinking about traveling, the pet expense becomes a thing, right? Are we going to leave the dog at home?
Which is what, maybe like $60 to $80 per day? Or are we going to, I don't know, pay for a pet-friendly room, which is like 5 to 10 extra bucks, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. And so that has been huge. And when you go there there's treats and there's a dog bowl and like, there could even be a little dog park in the back for the dogs.
And so that has been a massive shift. I think people are noticing companies are becoming more aware. Everybody knows in order to bring people along, you have to make sure you accommodate the things that mean the most to them.
Scott
So I'm curious for, you know, I think you almost stumbled into this situation by, you know, creating this channel for your dog and then starting to rub and to see, you know, this almost serendipitous increase in follower count and getting cross-posted, you know, if you were to give advice now knowing all you know, over the I think you said 7 or 8 years of the posting and someone was trying to go out today and, you know, aspire to be a creator and aspire to go out and do something similar in their own way.
What encouragement would you get? Where would you tell them to start? you know, knowing everything that you know now.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah, I think, I guess I guess a couple of things. Look, you know, the obvious cliche thing is to be yourself, right? Like, because there's no one like you, and, like, that's what makes you original. And that's what would make your whole brand original, right? It is to be yourself and not to go try and be someone else who is like, has a whole like CPA grit or something like that.
You know, I see a lot of agencies when they're trying to tell people like, oh, how do you, you know, this is how you become an influencer. You make your page look like this. And it's like, my page is chaotic. You know, I, you know, my cover photo is something or Beth is like, and, you know, like, I, I just want it to be chaos.
And I think, you know, it works for us. But the more people start trying to brand themselves like someone else, everything becomes the same. And you're not setting yourself apart to get a brand deal. Right? so I say, you know, be yourself. Another thing that I would do if I was just getting started is, a lot of UGC content, you know, like go to brands and maybe you don't need to have followers to be a content creator.
You know, you can go because brands need content, right? They need it. And so you can go and get paid and just make videos, and not even, like, have a thousand followers. And I think that's always a really good way to start because in your teaching yourself negotiation, you're teaching yourself all about reading the contracts. you're teaching yourself, you know, exclusivity is like all the, all the, like, little nuances before you go and, like, get a big brand deal, right?
And you don't have to hire an attorney if you understand all of the, you know, legalities of it, because that's the biggest part, right? Because that's where you can tack on more fees if you will. You know, if you know that stuff. and I think that one of the big things is like, maybe understanding, like the keywords of a contract.
Scott
I love the UGC angle or just creating content. I was talking with someone the other day, and they're working at a kind of a news publisher and they're, they're doing reviews of products and they're working with various influencers. And, you know, something fell through. So one of the interns is like, I'll make it.
I'll go. And she just grabbed her phone and made a TikTok of her using this, like, convertible jacket that turns into, like, a vest. Sure. Like a cropped jacket, a long jacket. And it was like their highest-performing post. And it was just her and her apartment living life and like, walking out in this jacket and they're like, wow, this is like a whole nother approach.
And she now has this following just by kind of putting yourself out there, doing free content, you know, essentially free content. She wasn't paid to do that particular piece. She was just doing her job. And, you know, and I think the, you know, your point, the realness of it, like, she's a real twenty-something living a real apartment life on a budget, trying to buy one thing that becomes four things and look cute and stay warm.
And I think there's something relatable about that. Whereas you get this influencer who's got highly stylized content going to do a whole photoshoot, it's not as relatable. And, you know, it's not, it's not as real. And yeah, I think I think there's something to that or just, you know, be yourself. And I think especially from a product perspective, people want to envision themselves.
I laugh because maybe I'm the only person, but like, I go to Amazon and I actually look at the photos people put and I'm like, what is their experience using this product and what does it look like? And like, and I just think there's something relatable and it can be the worst picture I've ever seen in my life.
And it could be a person who looks completely different than me. But again, I find value in just kind of seeing what it looks like in a non-product photograph in the real world, with a real person using it. And there's something that brings trust, it brings confidence that you're going to get something that you want to use.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. And it's like it's authentic, right? So just like, you know, to piggyback on what you're saying about looking at this product, photos by, customers, it's like, okay, well, that customer has a different body, but I can see how the fabric forms around them and by, by looking at their photo, like, you can, like know that it's stretch or not know that up stretch.
Maybe it's not going to curve, it's just going to lay straight, which is like for your body, maybe not work. You know. Yeah. So I'm with you. I'm with you on that. I think the UGC and like the product reviews are, are big ones. People get paid to do product reviews on Amazon and all these different platforms.
I haven't done any of that stuff. but I see it come through. My feed is like something that people really get into, you know, which.
Kwame
Right on. Yeah. I feel like that has become like the current generation of, like, reviewing. You know, I think if it's live-like, there are obviously different steps, it all started with just writing something out. Yeah. Then it became like having a picture of it. Then it became, you have a short video of it, you know, and now it's just like going through an elaborately describing every piece of it.
Any time that I ever think about buying a car. Yeah, I go straight to YouTube, right? Right. Because I look at the reviews and I never like, I like looking at, like, the professional reviews. They're great, but the ones that I trust most are the ones where it's literally just some guys like, hey, I got this car and I'm going to tell you my six months of ownership.
Yeah, you know what? Yeah. Because he's really telling you his experience and you're going to, you know, you're going to know exactly how you're experiencing that as well. But, you know, I think we had a great conversation today. And I think as we kind of think about closing it up, I think there's a couple of things that I always love to touch on.
Right. The first thing is, I'd love to ask you what's next for you and Beth? What are y'all currently working on? You know, what are your, you know, next couple months look like?
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. Let's see here. I've been writing a book for a while now. It's called the Shit My Dog Has Seen. And, I had some really cool partners on this book. But what happens is, you know, because we have been out there for so long, people will share their stories with us. like the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Basically embarrassing. Like, that's what I want. and so there are a bunch of, like, kind of like, short stories, with illustrations, that I feel like I'd like, you know, just make a series out of. Just kind of like a bathroom book or whatever, where people are just like reading. It's almost like the old women's magazines.
The white, like people like when I was in, we would just flip to the women's section and just like, read the embarrassing things. So it's a book that talks about that. I've partnered with Matt Holloway from Bad Manners, which is a cookbook, a vegan cookbook where they curse all in it. and then I got a buddy, danger.
And from jackass, who has, like, signed on to be the voice for like, the audiobook. And him reading these stories is, like, hilarious. So, so, yeah. So we are looking to launch a Kickstarter for that. coming up, hopefully by the time this is out, you know, so that'll be on our website. but that'll be a really fun book.
I think that it's just fun to get these stories from our followers all around the world. Right? So there's all different, you know, sets of things going on that are just like, oh, man, it's not just like stepping in poop, you know? It's like feeding your in-laws the dog food on accident because it was in the freezer and it looks like, you know, taco meat.
So then it goes into the tacos and you're just like, oh my God, everyone's sick now or not sick or they love it and they're like, hey, let's make those tacos again. And you're like, oh yeah, let's make those, you know? So that's a fun project that we've been working on that I make that I'm excited about.
yeah. Yeah, I think that's, that's, right now kind of one of the biggest ones. And, of course, you know, extending our brand partnerships, it's always fun, like bringing on new people, and new products are fun, but yeah, the book is kind of my focus right now.
Kwame
Awesome. And then for everyone who is listening out there, how do we find you? You know, or what you're working on, what's releasing? Where do we find you? Online. All that good stuff.
Lindsay Van Bramer
Yeah. So you can find us @PardonThyFrench. I got that handle because it's an excuse. Well, I don't know if it really is, but it was more like. Excuse you versus. Excuse me. So was like, pardon my French. It's like, no excuse for you because people say weird stuff to be on the street. And I'm like, but you know.
So that's how we did that. And she's named after Beth is named after, the surfer Bethany Hamilton. And who got her arm bit off by the shark because I thought it was like an inspirational, like, resilient vibe to like her story. so, so, yeah. So you guys can follow us, at, PardonThyFrench, or find us, we have a website part of the day, french.com. Really? All you have to do is put in a white, three-legged Frenchie, and bet that's coming up.
Scott
That's amazing. Well, I just love the story so much. It's been great to talk with you. I think both Beth and you, in your own right, are, doing amazing things and inspiring a lot of folks. And, you know, I think it's there's a really positive side and a positive, inspirational story to, you know, care for animals who can't, you know, can't advocate for themselves.
And, you know, I think all of us as humans, we have an obligation and a duty to help the animals, the world, as well as help each other and, and be good stewards of the planet and all that. Not to be cheesy, but, you know, we should. So, and also have some fun and sweat a little bit in the process of all of that.
It was a great meeting with you. Thanks for being on the pod. And that wraps up this episode. Join us next week for the next one.
Lindsay Van Bramer
All right. Thank you, everyone.