We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kelsie Herzog. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kelsie below.
Alright, Kelsie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
For me, the key to being successful is a lot of hard work & pure luck. I often get asked how I started my music journey (being a playlist curator + having a following for music related topics) on the internet and it was genuinely pure luck. I’ve been posting videos on Youtube since 2016 and it was a ‘just for fun’ thing; that translated to TikTok when the pandemic started. I was posting random videos of ‘band recommendations of the day’ on my TikTok account & my page went from 6,000 to around 50,000 followers in a matter of a few days. It was extremely overwhelming and I genuinely think it was all luck! But with a large following came a lot of pressure as well as endless hard work.
Music has always been a huge center of my life for the longest time, so when my TikTok video did very well that helped me grow a few years ago, I had this rush of inspiration to create & work my butt off; I was making 2 TikTok videos a day for months, constantly researched new artists and bands, shared new playlists + music with my audience, as well as curated custom playlists for people (almost all of which I still do today)! All of that has trickled into where I am today — a playlist curator with an intense love for music & sharing that on the internet. Anyone can be successful, it just takes a lot of passion, consistency, interest, and hard work for what you want to be successful with/at. :)
Kelsie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I’m Kelsie — you can find me being a freelance photographer most days, but also someone who enjoys talking about music on the internet. I was a bartender/waitress for about 6 years, until I officially started my freelance photography business in 2021 during the middle of the pandemic. I started off specializing in editorial/fashion portraits, then slowly transitioned back to weddings + couples. Photographing people in love is so bittersweet for me (as a mega hopeless romantic) and is truly something I’ve dreamed of doing for years.
Along with that, I also photograph bands/live concerts in my free time, which then moves us to my part time gig: a playlist curator and internet music pal. I’ve been putting my music opinions/suggestions out there since 2016 and today, I’m able to share it with over 238,000 people on the internet! I talk about so many things, from music suggestions, to niche genres, to playlists, & even vinyl. Some of the more popular genres I talk about are Midwest Emo, Indie Rock, Shoegaze, and so much more.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Building an audience on social media can go one of two ways: pure luck or a LOT of hard work/marketing knowledge. For me, both of those things played a role into both of my businesses! As a freelance photographer, I solely rely on the internet to get business (and maybe some referrals here and there). I’ve had an Instagram account for years and years, but it started growing when I was posting on TikTok; tips and tricks to shooting, showcasing some of my photoshoots, and just being present. Consistency, authenticity, and showing your personality play such an important role in gaining a following on social media!
The same qualities have applied to the music side of things that I do. Instagram is my current most popular platform, but TikTok was where I started. People love having parasocial relationships, so again, constantly being present & engaging with your audience/followers is key! It’s also super fun because you can grow a little tight-knit community and it feels like you have a bunch of close friends, but from all over the world.
Also one random tip I have: follow trends and new App Tools. When Reels started becoming more popular on Instagram, I jumped right on it and started posting my TikToks on Instagram & I went from 4,000 to 93,000 followers in 5 months; it was crazy! As for trends, they’re a thing for a reason; it’s what everyone’s doing & seeing online, and if you join in but staying true to yourself/your brand, you can be seen.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
For this questions, I’ll be mainly focusing on the photography side of things for me! I’ve been into photography since I was 16 (currently 25!) and it was always a hobby; I would take pictures of nature, buildings in cities, and random photos of my friends. It wasn’t until the pandemic when I realized I wanted to pursue it full time! I started off small with only photographing portraits of people while also doing MANY collaborations with local models (something that helped me network with other creatives in the area as well!). When people started to see my portraits on Instagram back in 2021, I started getting inquiries like crazy; for weddings, couples, groovy editorial shoots, + so much more. It wasn’t until this past summer when I had around 3 photoshoots a week that I realized, hey this can definitely be my full time gig!
I’ve slowly transitioned into photographing weddings + couples as it’s been more rewarding for me and a lot less stressful! Having 3 – 4 photoshoots a week started to get a little overwhelming & not sustainable, so I ended up finding a love for photographing couples in love. It’s been nothing short of a dream & I cannot believe this is what I do for a living.
Marketing yourself is such a huge part of owning a business; if people aren’t constantly reminded you exist & what you do, then it’ll be hard to grow as a creative/business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kelsieherzogphoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/theyelllowbutton OR www.instagram.com/kelsieherzogphoto
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/kelsieherzog
- Other: TikTok – https://www.tiktok.com/@theyellowbutton?lang=en
Image Credits
Photographer for 3 photos of me: Nathanial Schmidt