[00:00:00] Mel: Hi, and welcome to Less Chatter, More Matter, a podcast about all things communication without the waffle. I'm your host, Mel Loy, and in this show, I will give you short, punchy, practical communication tips and insights. You can start using in your communication practices right away. I'm a former corporate communication executive who happily took a redundancy, started my own business and never looked back.

[00:00:27] Mel: These days I use my 20 plus years of experience to help guide organisations of all shapes and sizes in how to communicate more effectively. I'm wife to Michael, cat mum to Cookie, aunty to 12 nieces and nephews, a yoga teacher, and a group fitness fanatic. I promise these episodes will always be short, sharp, and helpful, so let's get amongst it.

[00:00:52] Hi there friend and welcome to another fresh episode of Less Chatter, More Matter, the communications [00:01:00] podcast. Before we continue - I would love it if you could take a few minutes to just rate and review the show. Those ratings and especially the reviews help more people to benefit from everything we share on this show.

[00:01:12] So you'll be doing your bit as an inspired learner yourself. On today's episode. And this was such a fun one to do. I interviewed Rachael Gough, a Brisbane-based, award-winning certified personal stylist, content creator, and mum of two. Rachael is committed to showing women of all shapes and sizes, how to embrace their now and find their love for fashion, beauty, and life at all its wonderful stages. Now you might be wondering why on earth did I invite a stylist on as a guest to a communications show? Well, when it comes to showing up on social media and generating business. Rachael knows how it's done. She has 64,000 followers on Instagram. Having started creating content in 2016. And it's her consistent presence on social media channels.

[00:01:59] That's helped her [00:02:00] reframe and shape her business over the years. Of course being a stylist. She also knows a thing or two about visual communication and personal brand as well. And as we've covered many times on this podcast, your personal brand and visual communication matters - how you show up on socials and your style says something about you. So in today's episode, Rachael gives us a peek behind the curtain as a content creator, sharing her top tips on how to create content that cuts through the noise. Including getting clear on your audience and showing up for your community authentically. Definitely go check out Rachael and see what she does, particularly on Instagram.

[00:02:38] All the links are in the show notes, but without further ado, let's get into the conversation. Here's Rachael.

[00:02:46] Mel: Hi Rachael.

[00:02:46] Mel: And welcome to the show.

[00:02:48] Rachael: Hi, thanks for having me.

[00:02:50] Mel: I am excited to have you here because we haven't done a whole lot on social media yet. So, uh, this is why I really wanted to talk to you because the way you show up on [00:03:00] socials is so great. But before we get into that, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, what you do and how you came to develop your expertise in that space?

[00:03:12] Rachael: I've always been in a creative space. When I first left high school, I went into beauty therapy. Um, and then I segued into admin. I created my own clothing brand. I saw a, um, part of the market that was being missed, which was curvy women in t shirts, believe it or not. That is an incredibly hard thing for women to find, um, if you are curvy.

[00:03:38] Rachael: And from that. This was, this was about, you know, 10 years ago. Um. Social media was still quite young and new. Well, Instagram especially was, um, and you had to have a presence. So as a brand, I needed to have a presence on Instagram and Facebook. And, um, I guess I had a bit of FOMO. [00:04:00] Because I've worked with a lot of fashion bloggers.

[00:04:02] Rachael: I've always loved, you know, hair, beauty, makeup, fashion. I've always loved that sort of stuff. So I was like, okay, well, maybe I need to create my little private account separately from being a brand where I can just show up with my own love of fashion without it having to have anything to do with my brand and then... it kind of just grew and organically I, you know, got really into fashion through that.

[00:04:31] Rachael: I did close down my brand when we finally fell pregnant with my youngest cause it was just too much for one person and yeah, really fell into more of the creative side of Instagram. And then last year decided to finally follow my dream and become a certified personal stylist. So I could share... my love for fashion in a, I guess, a more educational way and help women in a more [00:05:00] hands on, thorough way.

[00:05:03] Mel: Gotcha. And I am the recipient of some of that, that service now, thankfully, because we all know I needed it. So you've got 64, 000 followers on Instagram, which is just huge. And, but you're also on Tik Tok, Facebook, whole bunch of things. When you create content for your channels, how do you decide what to post and when to post it?

[00:05:28] Rachael: So. I guess for me, I'm not evenly spaced over all those platforms. The majority of my audience is Instagram. Um, but it's important, I guess, to be present on, you know, don't put all your eggs in one basket kind of thing. Um, each platform does require a different take on the same content because it has different audiences and different algorithms and that sort of thing.

[00:05:58] Rachael: But my main focus is [00:06:00] Instagram and my community on Instagram. Um, and for what to post, I'm always looking to educate my, my ladies, um, bring value to them in a really helpful and easily applied way. Um, they're excellent at dropping into my DMS and being like, Hey, I saw this is coming up new season and I need some help, or I don't know how to style this.

[00:06:27] Rachael: So like, you know, they're very, I love chatting with them personally, one on one on DM. So I get a lot of like chit chat through there as well. Um, but in terms of when to post, if you have a business or creator account, you have insights that you can access and it will tell you when your community is most active online.

[00:06:47] Rachael: And obviously that's when you want to be pushing your content to them so that they can see it without getting lost.

[00:06:54] Mel: We might come back to that in just a moment. I'm interested in how using those statistics, but [00:07:00] you did mention your community. So you've got a very specific audience in mind. Can you tell us a little bit about them and how you tailor your content to meet their needs?

[00:07:10] Rachael: So predominantly I have like mostly women, very, very high percentage of women, obviously. Um, they tend to be in like that 25 to 55 bracket. I have a heavy amount of women who are mothers, but not solely. I guess I tend to get a lot of women who have lost their style mojo. Or have had a life change where they're just feeling a bit lost and they want some, I guess, gentle guidance.

[00:07:41] Rachael: I'm not a in your face kind of person and I'm not like a, this is the style rule and you must follow it. I, as you know, I believe that anybody can wear anything. It just depends on like where and how, and you need to show up authentically as your [00:08:00] style self. It's not all about being flattering or I'm this... apple or I'm at hourglass or whatever it might be. So I think that I have a lot of women who are drawn to me because it feels safe. I'm not out there like almost being a fashion bully. Not that, you know, there's so many beautiful fashion creators who, you know, have such a great platform as well, but there are some who are like, this is the new pair of shoes and you're not going to look fashionable if you don't wear them.

[00:08:30] Rachael: And I'm just, that's not me.

[00:08:32] Mel: Hmm. Yeah, so On that, I mean, social media is such a busy space. As you just said, you know, there's a lot of creators out there doing fashion or doing, doing any particular topic, right? There's so millions of people using social media every day. How do you cut through the noise?

[00:08:51] Mel: Because, you know, you've built this huge following, which is amazing. So you're obviously doing something right in terms of cutting through the noise of being seen. But [00:09:00] also, obviously, it helps drive your business. So how do you do that?

[00:09:05] Rachael: I mean, it's impossible to say that you don't have the days where you compare yourself.

[00:09:09] Rachael: I'm only human. And I think people should be more open about the realities of social media. However, at the end of the day, I am very much about collaboration over competition. And I believe that there's space for everyone and just because someone's doing something else or something similar or even completely different doesn't mean that should affect how I show up on the platform.

[00:09:33] Rachael: So I just choose to be authentically me every day. Like, you know, what you see is what you get. And that's something that when people. meet me in real life, they say, Oh, you're, you're just like you are online, which I think is just, you know, such an amazing compliment in this day and age.

[00:09:53] Mel: Yeah. It's a real validation of, uh, your authenticity and how you show up.

[00:09:58] Mel: And we've had this discussion [00:10:00] before where, you know, there are people out there who are influencers for want of a better term, or who are thought leaders, even who show up on LinkedIn and other social media platforms. And there's just something you can tell about authenticity, right? Like you can smell it when it's not there.

[00:10:16] Mel: Would you, would you agree?

[00:10:18] Rachael: Oh, absolutely. There's been, um, people on this platform. I've been so excited to me and I just think, oh, they're, they're going to be incredible and you know, it's like, don't meet your heroes. Sometimes you're left going, oh, okay, this is a business for you. And it can be like, there's nothing wrong with it being a business, but I don't know.

[00:10:41] Rachael: I just think it's a new type of business. It's social media. It's meant to be social. And I think you can have a business and also be authentically yourself.

[00:10:52] Mel: It's interesting. Uh, still on that train of thought, because a couple of people I've spoken to as I've been helping people with starting their freelancing [00:11:00] businesses.

[00:11:00] Mel: And that's the thing. Um, quite a few of them. Have us, you know, have a LinkedIn profile, but I've never used it or, you know, on Instagram, but never really use it. They just lurk in the background. And one of the things they often say to me, well, two things, two barriers they need to overcome: one is time to create content, um, and also come up with the content, but two, so many of them have said to me they worried about... like they don't like to put too much personal information out there and I'm trying to tell them there is a balance between being authentic and being yourself and TMI. So how do you explain that to people?

[00:11:34] Rachael: I

[00:11:37] Rachael: think that you need to find your personal boundaries on what you're willing to share. I think you also need to look at what your business is because obviously how much of your own personal life can be shared or should be shared will depend on what your business is. I enjoy following businesses where I know the person [00:12:00] behind the brand, they're showing up.

[00:12:03] Rachael: I don't like it with them coming on and go, Oh, I've had a terrible day. The dog puked on the rug and the kids were screaming. And like, as sure, if you are there as a personal account, that's fine. But as a brand, it kind of... it can be a deterrent. So I think it's just finding those boundaries for yourself. I mean, for me, I share quite a lot.

[00:12:27] Rachael: I'm quite open, but I don't share my boy's names for privacy reasons. I don't share, um, you know, where we go, they go to school or where they frequent. So it's just finding those boundaries for what works for your personal brand or business.

[00:12:45] Mel: No, it's a really good point. So it sounds like, you know, there's, there's two kinds of elements here.

[00:12:50] Mel: One is, well, what, what is it that you do? Because obviously if I'm, uh, you know, a business person, then that's really got nothing to do with my [00:13:00] life, my family life necessarily. So that kind of takes that a bit off the table, but also the second thing you said was, uh, the boundaries that you choose as well.

[00:13:09] Mel: So yeah. How, how comfortable are you with, and with sharing? Different elements of your life as well. Nobody, there's no rule book. There's nobody telling you you've got to share exactly this much and this, this stuff, right?

[00:13:20] Rachael: Exactly. And then from those boundaries and those decisions that you make for your own personal brand, that's a community that you're going to attract.

[00:13:30] Rachael: So that's also something you should take into account is who do you want to attract? Because if you're an oversharer, but you want quite, you know, corporate or businessy or like professionals, they might not. Engage with that on a brand or business perspective.

[00:13:47] Mel: Yeah, yeah, totally agree. And it comes back to what we talk about a lot in comms and I bang on about all the time on this podcast and everywhere else is: all your communication starts with who; starts with your audience, starts with who it [00:14:00] is you're trying to reach.

[00:14:01] Mel: And then. Working your way back from there. So I really like that. That's how it shows up for you as well. One of those other issues, as I said, was time. So having the time and also just coming up with the ideas in the first place. Could you give us an insight into your process?

[00:14:17] Rachael: Oh, it's a full time job.

[00:14:18] Rachael: Social media is a full time job, which is why so many small businesses and startups struggle so much because on top of everything else that you're doing. You do need to plan your content. You need to make sure that you are giving, um, quality content. And that doesn't always have to look like, you know, it's in a studio or it's filmed on professional; just like quality as in it's decent to watch.

[00:14:44] Rachael: It's enjoyable to watch, but also what you're giving is quality. Um, and you do, you need to take the time to forward, think and plan and film in advance and have that ready to go so that you can consistently show up for your [00:15:00] community.

[00:15:01] Mel: And I guess too, it depends on what your brand is too, right? Because yours is obviously a very visual thing.

[00:15:07] Mel: So it's styling, it's clothing, it's all sorts of things. There's, there's a lot of, you have to be out there sharing this stuff very visually, but not everybody has to do that either. Right. So, um, it doesn't always have to be, for example, myself, you know, we do communications. So I can show up and do other things, but I don't need to be, uh, on there necessarily sharing visual stuff all the time.

[00:15:31] Mel: It doesn't have to be that way for me. I think, as you say, it's about, well, who are you talking to? What are you, what's your brand about? Um, as to how much time you put in there. Um, and again, for people-

[00:15:41] Rachael: Can connect with another person, though. So the more that you do show up and that's where it gets tricky, depending on what your brand and business is, is how you can incorporate yourself into your content in a way that reflects what you're trying to get across.

[00:15:58] Rachael: It's a huge [00:16:00] balance. Absolutely. But the more that you show up yourself, the more because it is social media, people want to be social and they won't connect with a very professional brand.

[00:16:12] Mel: Yeah, I do get that. But people follow people, not brands in a way it's, yeah. Unless it's a, a very, a brand that really, really speaks to them.

[00:16:23] Mel: They're not likely to follow the people behind the brand. I would imagine. Um, one thing I did want to ask about was, um, You talked about this before, looking at analytics and what time of day people, you know, your communities are active. How much do you look into the data of your accounts?

[00:16:42] Rachael: I do keep an eye on it, but I don't let it rule because I am also a mum to two. I have my styling business. I have some other very exciting things happening behind the background at the moment. So I can't always... [00:17:00] be like, all right, this is my best posting time. I can only post at this time. There has to be that flexibility as well.

[00:17:08] Rachael: That's good to have an understanding, but still make it work for you.

[00:17:13] Mel: And in terms of just coming up with ideas, where do you get your ideas from?

[00:17:20] Rachael: I get a lot of my ideas actually from my one on one personal styling clients, because they'll mention, Oh, I never thought of that. And to me, it comes very naturally.

[00:17:30] Rachael: And I'll be like, Oh, okay. Okay. I need to film that and share it with everyone because if one person didn't think of it or struggled with it or found that useful, then more people will. And I do like different things that are important to me. Like for me, I prefer quality over quantity and I really feel like fast fashion whilst has a purpose and there are, you know, budget restraints, [00:18:00] especially at the moment.

[00:18:01] Rachael: It, it's kind of like losing... it's enamorment. I guess. I don't know that that's a word. Like people are realizing that buying a 5 white t shirt every three weeks is not great. It's not great for the environment. And it's not actually budget friendly because if you invested in a really good quality white t shirt that would wash and wear for a number of years, your cost per wear is really low.

[00:18:27] Rachael: So I do things like, you know, how to style one item 10 ways or five ways, or like, this is a base. Simple base outfit and we're going to style it in multiple different ways just to kind of like show how you can get the most out of your wardrobe without having to like buy consistently or replace or, how to incorporate trends so that it's in a way that's authentically your style, not just being like a trend follower.

[00:18:58] Mel: How do you, speaking of followers, how do you [00:19:00] deal with, uh, any nasty comments or, uh, DMS that come in? I mean, I can't imagine you get too much of them because you're amazing and you're authentic and you're lovely, but I'm sure given the amount of followers, there's a good chance you would have had some over the years.

[00:19:14] Mel: How do you deal with that?

[00:19:17] Rachael: Honestly, the worst has been TikTok. And honestly it was because I had a cold and I mispronounced autumn and then. It was some digs about how I said autumn and I was like, okay, this is, you know, I, I honestly touch wood, touch all the wood.

[00:19:36] Rachael: I am very blessed with the most incredible community. They're so beautiful and kind and they support each other and I just, I don't really get trolls.

[00:19:48] Mel: I heard another creator once say she's built such a, she's built a massive community, but it's a really strong one.

[00:19:55] Mel: And she shows up authentically and all that sort of stuff. So she's got a very loyal following that [00:20:00] when there is the occasional troll or the occasional nasty comment, it's her community that jumps into her defense. She doesn't actually have to do anything a lot of the time, which again, speaks to that.

[00:20:10] Mel: And yeah, if you create, I guess you create this community, you've obviously got to invest in it too. Right. So you're saying, you know, you do a lot of DM chats, that sort of thing, but is it also a case of, you know, responding to all the comments and doing all those things as well?

[00:20:22] Rachael: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. I respond to every single comment. Um, every single DM like it's called social media for a reason.

[00:20:32] Mel: That's very true. So from a communications perspective, what are some of the top like 3 to 5 tips you would give people so they would show up on social media most effectively?

[00:20:43] Rachael: Well, as we've been speaking about, first and foremost is just be authentic to yourself.

[00:20:48] Mel: Mm hmm.

[00:20:49] Rachael: Like, that is the most important in your content, your tone, your copy, everything. Just be authentically you and show up as that person every day. Um, I [00:21:00] think also the written word, text, can be misconstrued. So easily. Um, so it's important, especially I think in like the comments and the DMs to be more emotive than you would speak, um, verbally so that it comes across in the tone, That, um, you're, you're meaning it to come across.

[00:21:27] Rachael: But just being aware of how it could be read. and just maybe adding a little bit more emotion into it. Um, and I think speak to your audience, not at them. It's about creating a connection. And if they feel like they're just being like spoken at and not involved, um, you know, they're not going to form that connection with you.

[00:21:56] Mel: Can you give me an example of that perhaps?

[00:21:59] Rachael: From a [00:22:00] fashion- based point of view I could, you know, say red is the color for the season. You need to incorporate it into your outfits, or you could say, I'm loving the colour red this season. Do you, and how are you going to include it in your outfits?

[00:22:21] Mel: So really engaging them in conversation as opposed to broadcasting a message.

[00:22:25] Rachael: Yeah. Opening up their end so that they feel like they want to comment or DM.

[00:22:35] Mel: I love that.

[00:22:36] Mel: So, three tips: Consistent authenticity, uh, being emotive, but clear in your messaging so it's not misconstrued and, and we don't have a case of, I guess, um, lost in translation. And speak to your audience, not at them and really build that connection. Those are three really great tips. Thank you for sharing that. One last question before we get to our final fast round is obviously your job [00:23:00] is styling and so much of communication of personal brand is very visual.

[00:23:05] Mel: So what advice would you give to people who on how or how their brand shows up through their visual style and where they can get advice?

[00:23:14] Rachael: I would say, as much as we don't like to judge on appearances, first impressions do last, and they are very important. So what is your first impression? Whether that's your appearance or whatever.

[00:23:30] Rachael: That might be what's your visual first impression saying and is it... telling the story that you want it to; and if it's not then you have to look at why and how you can change that and I think that depending on you know, what that looks like, if you're if you're a professional person and and you are showing up visually in your content, then you need to represent your brand in a way that you want it to be seen.[00:24:00]

[00:24:00] Rachael: And so it might benefit you to work with a personal stylist. They might be able to help you with your outfits and your book cover photo, you know, who knows?

[00:24:09] Rachael: Or it could be like working with a graphic designer to make sure that, you know, even down to like your font and your colors and that sort of thing is reflective of your brand ethos and how you want that to be seen as well.

[00:24:23] Mel: Oh, Rachael, thank you for sharing so many great insights and tips from behind the curtain of your social media today. I've got three questions that we ask every guest on the podcast. Are you ready for those?

[00:24:36] Rachael: Yes.

[00:24:38] Mel: Let's do it. Okay. What is one of the best communication lessons you've ever learned and how did it change the way you approach communication?

[00:24:48] Rachael: I actually did struggle with this one because I come from a very heavily service based background.

[00:24:54] Rachael: So, beauty therapist, administration, I was a personal assistant, I had my own brand, I'm [00:25:00] now a stylist. Like, I've always worked with people, so I feel like, even like from 17 years old, I've probably learned thousands and thousands of lessons, but I guess the biggest one is to not make assumptions and to give space for people to be clear or be heard.

[00:25:23] Mel: Yeah, I love that and sometimes it's one thing I had to learn was just shut up and listen. Next question. What's one thing you wish people would do more of or less of when they communicate?

[00:25:37] Rachael: I wish people would do less of unnecessary comments. Social media has given people an ill advised feeling that they have the right to comment whatever comes into their brain without thinking of the actual other real person on the other [00:26:00] side of that comment.

[00:26:02] Rachael: Um, and I just wish it was, you know, the old adage, like, think before you speak. And if you don't have anything nice to say. Don't say it at all. Um, that's not saying that you can't have open and honest communication with people, and there's definitely a space for that. But I guess because of the, the space that I'm in, I see things like people are like, oh, those pants aren't very flattering on you.

[00:26:26] Rachael: I mean, who cares? Who said flattering was her goal? Maybe she loves those pants and feels amazing in them. But now that you've said a nasty comment, she's not going to ever wear them again because you know, she, she feels bad. Like I just think, be nice, be kind.

[00:26:44] Mel: All right, one last question. Who do you turn to for communication advice?

[00:26:48] Rachael: Well, you, of course, Mel,

[00:26:50] Mel: obviously, yeah, but

[00:26:53] Rachael: I think, um, I have a great group of girlfriends within this space who are either content [00:27:00] creators or stylists themselves. And you know, we, we are great sounding boards for each other. Um, when it comes to, you know, oh, this happened, what's your advice, have you been through it before?

[00:27:12] Rachael: All of it. That sort of thing. So it's, I think it's important to surround yourself with like minded, um, people in business.

[00:27:21] Mel: Yeah, I totally agree. Well, Rachael, thank you so much for your time today. Where can people find out more about you?

[00:27:29] Rachael: Um, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, my website, you name it. I've probably got it. . .

[00:27:38] Mel: That's true. We'll put all the links in the show notes to everybody. I think that'll be a much easier way to find you. But champagnesilvousplait is, yeah, champagnesilvousplait typically is typically your uh, handle in most places.

[00:27:51] Mel: That's it. Yep. Uh, Rachael, thank you so much again for your time and, uh, for being on Less Chatter, More Matter.

[00:27:57] Rachael: Thank you for having [00:28:00] me.