Are de-influencers the new UGC creators? 🤔

gm! 🌟

If you think about it, UGC Creators aren't a new type of influencers — but they're emerging as the most-trusted influencers. According to Stackla, about 79% of users follow UGC recommendations for purchasing decisions.

In today's Morning Rush, we're sharing our conversation with one UGC creator — Shannon Marie Mod, who has worked with brands like Nike, Intel, and Gap.

Who Is Shannon Marie Mod?

Now, let’s dive right into the conversation. 👇

Thousand Faces Club: Can you tell us about yourself and the story behind your brand 'iamsoulpowered'?

Shannon: I am a US girl currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand with my travel partner, Bentley, my 7lb Pomeranian. I am a business coach, brand expert, and entrepreneur who leaped from corporate to digital nomad 7 years ago after starting my first company 'Modhouse'. My background spans high-tech, fashion, retail and product development, including positions at Intel, Nike, and GAP. Working for these great companies helped me develop business acumen and start my first company. A year after starting my first company, I began traveling and living the lifestyle of a digital nomad, and I loved the freedom and perspective it provided. As part of my journey as a founder, focusing on my mindset became a crucial part of my lifestyle. This included positive thinking, daily rituals, and practices that encouraged my positive thinking. I started incorporating these into my coaching program; it was a real game-changer for my clients. Since then, the word "SoulPowered" has simply become part of my brand and business. I want to empower others step into their soul power, and build a business they love while creating the lifestyle they deserve.

Thousand Faces Club: How did you start your content creation journey and what did you launch first — your Instagram or newsletter?

Shannon: I was on Instagram for many years posting majorly travel photos. In June 2022, I started appearing on Reels for my own business, and while it was daunting at first, I realized founders were benefiting from what I had to share. It wasn't until mid-November 2022 that I launched my newsletter to create longer-form content that I could jam-pack with much more value.

Thousand Faces Club: What does your content strategy involve?

Shannon: My content strategy for 2023 is 👇

For long-form content, I'll use my newsletter, SOULPOWERED BRANDS, to provide my subscribers with lots of advice, templates, and resources for building and growing their creative brands. My short-form strategy is to break down the value of long-form into bite-sized pieces and share them across Twitter, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.

Thousand Faces Club: What do you think is the future of UGC?

Shannon: UGC will fundamentally change as we know it, but for the better. I think creators who truly understand consumer psychology and offer live-streaming content will be industry leaders. Brands will realize the value of UGC creation and offer more competitive compensation and programs. And UGC agencies will become more competitive with their offerings to creatives to maintain their business. With the widespread adoption of AI, content creators will save time and create higher volume, which will increase their income and give them more freedom.

Thousand Faces Club: Do you think UGC is a lot like de-influencing? Not in a negative way, but offering a more authentic opinion on something?

Shannon: I think so! The influencer age has been around for a long time, but it was challenging to discover, communicate or afford an influencer. With many influencers being paid to promote the same products, the audience may not always find it authentic — consumers have started looking for more connection and accessibility with creator. In a sea of promoted content, it's challenging to understand what's real and worth an investment. UGC, although not a new concept, fosters a connection and authenticity.

Thousand Faces Club: What are the bottlenecks you face while building content for your newsletter?

Shannon: The biggest challenge is that everyone has their own idea of the "right" copywriting formula for storytelling. There are so many great formats and methods that it can be overwhelming. So, I try to test what works for me and feels authentic to my story. So far, my method has been to talk to my audience as if they were sitting next to me and having a conversation. If you read my newsletter and then meet me in person, it'll feel familiar. This breaks so many copywriting rules, but it's worked well for me.

Thousand Faces Club: What do you think are some of the biggest challenges that creators face today?

Thousand Faces Club: Got any advice for beginner newsletter creators?

Shannon: Start now! You have experience and value that others can benefit from, and you'll be surprised how many people appreciate you for it. It's one of the most rewarding areas of my business, and I am so glad I started. I genuinely look forward to writing my newsletter every single week. Don't overthink it, just jump in!

Thousand Faces Club: What does 2023 look like?

Shannon: My 2023 mission is to grow my human impact by empowering 100,000+ entrepreneurs through meaningful content and “ah-ha” education to live their purpose while building and scaling their brands. I believe that 2023 will go down as the most influential year in human history. Artificial intelligence will fundamentally change copywriting and content creation as we know it. Creators will need to harness human psychology to connect with consumers. The consumer blockchain will revolutionize how we create, distribute and monetize content. As founders and creatives, we'll see several unique and impactful opportunities come from these fundamental changes, and I'm all for it. It's the PERFECT year for building and growing a creative business!

If you’ve enjoyed this conversation, you’ll also enjoy reading Shannon’s newsletter. Check it out here. 👇

That’s it for this week! I’ll be back with another story next Tuesday. 👋🏼

Psst..check out our new stuff on YouTube and Instagram.

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— Sunaina Patnaik

Thousand Faces Club is an initiative by Phyllo. Phyllo is the universal API for creator data. Sign up for free!