The Socialize Podcast

Helen: 00:00

Welcome to the socialize forecast, Tuesday, 02/11/2025. Yay. We're gearing up for Valentine's week. And if you don't know about Doug's winter party, let me enlighten you because there is a little cute, adorable, feel good trend that is has started on TikTok and has now kind of I think it's infiltrated the world at this point. I know that it's it's pretty big.

Helen: 00:24

There's a gentleman in the town of New Hope, Pennsylvania. If you don't know about New Hope, it is the Bucks County. I don't know if maybe he's in New Hope exactly, but he's in Bucks County and he went around with paper invitations house to house to invite his neighbors to a winter party. And I think it's on Saturday. I'm not quite sure.

Helen: 00:44

But anyway, he went around and did these invitations. And one of the, young girls who is his neighbor answered the door, and she I guess her ring camera had captured him coming up to the door and captured their conversation where he invited her to his winter party, which goes from 4PM until the cops come, which is so cute. She posted a video about it, crazy viral situation where people around the world claim they're coming to Doug's party, and it is so cute. But what I fear is that people will actually show up at this poor man's house, and I'm curious to see how that's gonna unfold because I noticed that there was a a couple from California that were packing up their car, and they were gonna drive across country to go to Doug's party. And I'm thinking, were you invited to Doug's party?

Helen: 01:30

He invited his neighbors. What the hell? So I love when this happens because it's a feel good, beautiful story. But at the same time, if I would be Doug's family, I'd be a little concerned about what's gonna happen at his house. And that would concern me a little bit.

Helen: 01:45

Because even if everybody has good intentions, if they all do show up at his house, that's gonna be a terrifying situation for this poor man. But the whole idea here was that people were hosting Doug's parties around the country. And that was more of the beautiful story where it became a thing to have a party in the winter, and it was all inspired by this sweet gentleman. I'll include the video in the show notes and also it's in the newsletter. But I just if you don't know about it and somebody says to you, hey, you're going to Doug's winter party, at least you'll know what they're talking about.

Helen: 02:21

And let's pray for Doug and make sure nothing happens to his house or his neighborhood. I'm sure the cops are gonna arrive much quicker than they would have normally if everybody that says they're showing up to this thing is actually gonna show up. Well, stay tuned for that one. The other thing I wanna talk about two more things this week I wanna I wanna discuss. I was gifted a package, a PR package, and I get PR packages now and again.

Helen: 02:45

Not as often as I maybe did in the beginning of being on TikTok and having growing a following, but But occasionally, I get a PR package. And I was I was invited to receive a PR package from CeraVe, which is that, the lotions, you know, the brand. And I don't I wasn't obligated to make a video, but I had this really fun idea that of an effect I wanted to do. And I had been thinking about this effect and I was I was hoping that I'd get booked for a project where I when I shoot for sometimes for Olay or Clairol. And I was like, oh, I hope I get booked on something soon because I could use this effect.

Helen: 03:17

And lo and behold, I got this PR package and thought I'm doing it. I'm gonna do a video and I'm gonna use this x-ray effect. And that's exactly what I did. So I made the video and I decided instead of doing a typical influencer like, let me show you how the lotion goes on. Let me do a day in my life.

Helen: 03:31

I decided to do the X-ray. Let's take I got a PR package. Let's take a look inside the box, and I did this X-ray effect with my phone. And it is super cool, I think, because it's something different. It's a different way to highlight.

Helen: 03:43

It's more my style to highlight getting a PR package versus doing something completely outside what I normally post. And then, of course, that would feel like an ad. It even still felt like an ad and I said, hey. I got a PR package. Let's take a look inside.

Helen: 03:57

That even felt salesy to me. But I thought, well, I have to introduce it somehow. And the box did say, hey, it's me on the outside so I thought it was fun. Anyway, I did the x-ray effect and my studio people are gonna have the advantage of learning this this week in the studio. I was going to post a generic tutorial, but because this is so niche and it was a very not a viral video that I posted, I'm not gonna I'm not gonna share it on my regular feed.

Helen: 04:23

I'm gonna really use this to teach a very good lesson in my studio about how to do this type of green screen effect. And it's going to be useful not just for seeing inside packages, but I'm gonna show them how to look do it like x-ray inside your closet, how to do a thing where you hold up your phone and you show your phone and then you end up inside in the scene. So I'm gonna use this opportunity to teach a very big lesson in the studio this week. Yay. So if you're in my studio and you're listening, you can look forward to that.

Helen: 04:53

And I'm really pumped for you guys to take that and run with it. I can't wait to see the content you do. One thing I will say that the the folks who have embraced the studio and done the challenges every week, it's been so good to see their videos. So I can't wait to see what they do with this one. But the other thing that I'm doing that my studio people don't even know about yet, and I'm pumped because I just got off a phone call with my casting director for my TV commercials.

Helen: 05:18

And I have a shoot coming up that I'm going to be casting for. And because of that, I've been in touch with him to find the talent. And I started talking to him and I said, you know what? Do you wanna do a presentation to my studio and explain how you find the people for the commercials? I would love to have you.

Helen: 05:33

And he said, yes. So I'm gonna have him be a guest in the studio on one of our Zoom meetings upcoming this month in February, where he's gonna join and talk to us about casting, the process, getting an agent thing, how he finds talent, when how he goes about finding talent when it's real people casting, when he's not when he's looking beyond models that come from specific agencies he deals with. So I'm excited for that. So all of this is coming. So if you're not in the studio, now's a good month to try it because you're gonna get have the advantage of these things.

Helen: 06:04

But if not, you know, as I always say, fine and dandy. Just carry on with us here. I've got lots of trends to share with you coming up. We do have a open meeting with Tamzin and she's gonna talk about how she moved from the news, Tamzin Fadal that is, how she moved from being a news anchor into being a social media creator, basically, full time and author. So she's taken on the platform of being a voice for menopause.

Helen: 06:30

And so we have her coming up and she's gonna be with us on February 19, on Friday, February 9 sorry. That's a Wednesday. Wednesday, February 19. She's gonna join us and talk to us about that. So I have lots of things that are open for everyone and some things that are literally just for my studio members because I've got to bring extra value to the people who who are taking the time to be a part of something that is very special.

Helen: 06:55

Okay. So now let me get into the trends for today, and I love these because a couple of them, Julie and I are in sync on. When I saw it, I said, yep. She's she's seeing the same thing I'm seeing. So the first one is called My Emergency Contact.

Helen: 07:09

This is fun because you can use this song and show off a funny video of the person who you have in your phone as the emergency contact. So a lot of people will have their best friend or a husband or a relative, and maybe that relative is kind of a goofball and they're doing something silly. So the example we have is the emergency contact is sticking his head into a wall of snow. So it's an absurd thing that he's doing, and this is the person that's supposed to be their emergency contact. So you can really do something.

Helen: 07:37

You can have a lot of fun with this. It could just be like a an emergency contact is like a crazy wild dancer. Maybe your emergency contact is, obsessed with cooking and they're baking cakes all the time. Whatever. You can have some fun with that.

Helen: 07:51

The next one is don't get caught. And this game, I've seen it all over. And it's where one person is I think they're blindfolded in the they're supposed to be. And they're supposed to be are they supposed to be blindfolded? Let me see.

Helen: 08:03

Let Let me take a good look at it before I say that. Let's see. Oh, yeah. They are blindfolded. Okay.

Helen: 08:08

I was right. I thought I was losing it for a second there. So one person is blindfolded and then they're spinning around and they're supposed to be filming. I like how I close my eyes for the demo if you're watching. Is they're they're filming and you're supposed to be running and hiding and trying not to get caught as they're taking, photos and they're taking pictures.

Helen: 08:25

So the person's got they're not filming stills. They're tap tap tap tap tap and they're taking pictures. So it's a tap tap tap situation where the day be taking those photos. And you're try and everyone in the room is trying to avoid being seen in a photo. And then the video highlights the photos that were actually taken.

Helen: 08:43

It's a lot of fun. A lot of blurry photos. A lot of people ducking and diving and trying to get away from the camera. And that is a real really fun family trend to do. So if you have a gathering, if you're going to Doug's winter party and you're with people or if you're hosting one, you can do this with a bunch of people.

Helen: 08:58

That could be a lot of fun. And the next ones are for Instagram and one of them is you're knowing my stuff. This is a fun lip sync audio that was trending a while ago on TikTok. And it's you lip sync and then you add a title about when someone has been seeing your content online and you're like flattered like, oh my, you know. So it's that whole vibe of being discovered, being found out online when you're in another setting.

Helen: 09:21

And then the last one we have for Instagram is It Was Therapy and this is showing off an activity that feels like therapy to you. And this creator was buying overpriced hoodies and that's her therapy. So think about what your therapy is and show that off. Maybe it's you're obsessed with with, body lotions. Maybe you're obsessed with different drinking mugs.

Helen: 09:42

We know that is a big one of these water bottles. Maybe you're obsessed with content equipment that you use to create content, your microphones, your tripods, whatever it is that you are obsessed with that give you comfort. That's what you need to show off. Now as I mentioned, we have our featured workshop coming up next Wednesday with Tamzin who's gonna talk to us about leading the news and moving into her social media and influencer and author and speaker and advocate for menopause life that she's living right now. And I can't wait to talk to her about that.

Helen: 10:15

And then we're gonna hop into the original content ideas. And this week, we have the first one inspired by me being a crazy trying to be an influencer and doing my PR package my PR package video. But this is maybe take a page out of my book and decide to be an influencer and make a video how you would make an influencer video if you had an opportunity to get paid to do so. And then possibly, you can tag the brand if it's a product that you love and maybe they'll see your video and they'll offer you money to use it. Do you know that during the pandemic This is so funny.

Helen: 10:48

I forgot about this until just the other day. And when I tell you why I remember it, you're gonna laugh. But during the pandemic, I was doing, a lot of videos for YouTube and whatnot where and one of them was showing how I dye my own roots. And so I was doing this during the pandemic and I posted the video. Like, here's how to do it in case you don't know how.

Helen: 11:06

I'm gonna show you how I do mine. And I happen to remember in that video that in the behind me when I was filming, there was we a, towel rack had come off the door and so there were nail holes that were open nail holes. And it just bugged me that I recorded that video and those nail holes were behind me and I didn't notice when I was recording. They are since fixed. But do you know that I was contacted by Pantene, the actual shampoo company, And they paid me a thousand dollars to use my video in a commercial during the pandemic.

Helen: 11:39

So, yes, I was on a TV commercial during the pandemic and I got paid for that video. And every time I see it, the nail holes the nail holes behind me, it's enough to make me wanna cry because I'm like, why didn't I have those nail holes fixed behind me before I made that video? Anyway, so any video that you make, there's a lot of companies that will dig for user created content to feature and they do pay you usage rights for that. So if you make a video and it gets discovered by whatever company, you could have an opportunity to make some money and you can also get some letter your five minutes of fame as they say or maybe it's five seconds in my case. Alright.

Helen: 12:21

Next up, we have two Valentine ideas for you this week. One of them is sharing a cap cut template and we shared one that I just did recently for my Hangry Pets client and it was it's so funny because it's like Valentine's calling and then it that's sound of the phone ringing and then it bounces to a bunch of shots that you put in. So it could be you and your couple or it could be you and your girlfriends. It could be however you wanna use it with the photos but it's a easy template and it's a fun little Valentine's one for you. And then the other idea is to show love and create content around the idea of spreading good vibes.

Helen: 12:59

So whether that's sharing something that you love in terms of your favorite creators, your favorite recipes, your favorite books, your favorite TV shows, the things that you love and making a video around that with the goal of sharing that love with your followers. Alright. Now, let's talk about the featured tutorial. I have noticed oh god. I have to like I don't wanna throw any person under the bus, but I have noticed that a lot of people have like three seconds before they speak on their videos.

Helen: 13:31

And this is not just random scrolling. A lot of times, these are people in my studio, people in my friends following list or whatever. And I'm like, how are they not using the editing tool to just trim off the beginning? No one's waiting. No one's gonna count to three waiting for you to speak.

Helen: 13:49

And I will do it. I'll scroll and I think it's sometimes it's a still video. A still photo. And like, is this person talking? And then I find out, oh my god.

Helen: 13:56

They were talking. It just took them three seconds to get there. So editing your videos. And what I did this week is I did an editing in app tutorial. I did one for Instagram and one for TikTok.

Helen: 14:08

Because I think a lot of people like to use the filters. They want, you know, it's like vanity. They wanna look nice. They don't have time to do makeup, so they put the little filters on. And then they think they can't edit their videos, but you can edit right in the app.

Helen: 14:23

So please, I beg you. If you do speaking videos, please, please, please take a look at this tutorial. It will it has the potential to change your content to give it more views in about five seconds flat just by watching how to do it. Okay? I'm gonna beg you to all watch it.

Helen: 14:40

Please just trim off. And in my video, I show that I trim off a second and a half. And I even say, boy, it felt like a lot longer than that. But even a second and a half is, like, too much time for someone to wait for you to speak. Think about it.

Helen: 14:56

I'm gonna do a second and a half. One and a half. That's a long time. You're waiting. You're staring at someone.

Helen: 15:03

It's one, two. No. And sometimes it's one, two, three. It's too long. It's called the millennial pause.

Helen: 15:11

And in some cases, it's called the menopause depending on the age of the person who's doing it. You don't wanna pause before you start. Next up, we have the music suggestions as always for TikTok and Instagram providing you options. And very lastly, before I leave, I wanna talk about hashtags because I've noticed that whenever I do a speaking engagement or a private consulting or anytime I ask for questions, one of the questions is always, do hashtags matter anymore? Because people are out there saying it doesn't matter.

Helen: 15:44

Hashtags are irrelevant. They're not what they used to be. Yes. Okay. Nothing is ever as it used to be because things are always changing.

Helen: 15:53

They're always changing. Does that mean you suddenly abandon the idea of hashtags? There's a reason why there's still an option when you search. You can search by hashtag. So why would you eliminate the possibility of showing up in a search if someone is a hashtag searcher.

Helen: 16:10

Like there's people who do it. They go tap hashtags and then they browse by hashtag. It's a fact. People still do it. A lot of people that are, even up and coming in social media when they're more I won't call them old school even because a lot of people still go by their core thing that they used to always do.

Helen: 16:27

So if they were used to searching by hashtags, they're still searching by hashtags. So why would you eliminate that? So I always say it's better to cover your bases and do the things. Does it take that much more time to have a bunch of hashtags and a note that you copy and paste into your caption just in case? I don't think it's gonna hurt your content, and you certainly can put it at the bottom so no one so it's not getting in the way.

Helen: 16:51

I don't think a brand and I just worked with a brand as I mentioned. They sent me that package. They sent me the package and they sent me the rules. So if I was to make a video, I had to put certain things on the video and there were hashtags. I don't think a brand would direct people to put hashtags on a video if it wasn't a reasonable thing that you should do, if it wasn't a useful thing.

Helen: 17:16

I think that the brands know a lot because they're constantly getting information directly from the these social media apps. So if a brand is telling me to do it, then my gut says then it's relevant. So I am gonna say, stay with hashtags. Don't abandon your hashtags. The last thing I'll leave you with is that I am soon going to remake my tips for going live video.

Helen: 17:38

I do think that a lot of people get intimidated by going live if it's something new to them and they're not sure what to do. And they also will be intimidated by the screen. Because when you go live, your screen suddenly looks different. It has all these other options on it. And I have a video, a tutorial from about a year ago.

Helen: 17:54

But since it is a year old and, you know, these apps are constantly updating, I thought I would remake that tutorial. And so maybe next week, I will be able to share with you a tips for going live video and maybe overview of things to think about when you are live and what your screen looks like. And I'll do that. I always like to do that in TikTok because Instagram is pretty basic. There's not a lot of things you can do when you're live in Instagram.

Helen: 18:20

And then as soon as you finish your live in Instagram, you have to immediately repost. You can't change it or anything. So one of the things I always say, especially on Instagram, since you can't edit the live before you post it, is don't start by waiting for people to come in before you talk. When you go live, just immediately start. Today, this is what we're gonna be and while we're waiting for people to come in, let me just give you a few things about what we're gonna talk about.

Helen: 18:43

Like, start right away. Because if it shows up in your feed now as a post and you're there, oh, hi everybody. Oh, let's see who's here and you're doing that. No one's gonna watch your video. Like you're gonna lose your audience.

Helen: 18:54

So immediately when you say go live, immediately start talking about what the subject is. Even if no one's in the room with you, get on it so that when it shows up in someone's feed on Instagram, they know what your live is gonna be about and maybe they'll stick around and watch it even though it's after the fact. Okay. That's what I'm leaving you with for today. Thank you so much for being here, and I will be back on Friday with some more fun and excitement.

Helen: 19:19

Not a dance party, but definitely a strategy session. Okay. I'll see you then. Bye.