林賽?西爾伯曼是生活方式博主和內(nèi)容制作人,經(jīng)常去泰國等遙遠(yuǎn)景點(diǎn)旅行,有時還去墨西哥的瑪雅河等豪華酒店小住,然后將體驗發(fā)在Instagram賬戶上。她有16.5萬粉絲,粉絲們總向她詢問各種旅行建議和打包技巧,也會咨詢她喝的是哪種酒。但新冠病毒持續(xù)蔓延,她和其他許多內(nèi)容制作人問了同樣的問題:“如果人們沒法出門旅行,我該發(fā)些什么內(nèi)容?”
《財富》雜志采訪了西爾伯曼,了解新冠病毒對她日常工作的影響、公共衛(wèi)生危機(jī)下從事旅游行業(yè)的感受、現(xiàn)在如何跟粉絲互動,以及如何管理自身情緒和財務(wù)狀況。
《財富》:新冠病毒蔓延的消息傳出時,你還在圣巴特島旅行。身處相對隔離的加勒比海小島上看疫情蔓延是什么感覺?
西爾伯曼:感覺有點(diǎn)奇怪,也有點(diǎn)難過。島上還沒有受到影響,所以一切照舊。旅行最后兩天,我所有時間都用來關(guān)注新聞和社交媒體,了解家里的情況,以及到底能不能回家。朋友給我發(fā)信息說要“享受天堂吧,紐約感覺就像世界末日。”和其他人一樣,我想著人們受到各種負(fù)面影響就很難過。受重創(chuàng)的不僅僅是因病毒喪生的人,還有很多人很多行業(yè),從旅游業(yè)到小企業(yè),還有像我一樣的創(chuàng)業(yè)者都要承擔(dān)毀滅性的后果。
很多意見領(lǐng)袖和博主都面臨著一個問題:鑒于公共衛(wèi)生危機(jī)的嚴(yán)重形勢,應(yīng)該像往常一樣發(fā)布內(nèi)容還是全心關(guān)注疫情?這點(diǎn)可不能草率。你怎么打算?
我跟Instagram上粉絲的關(guān)系向來很開放也很透明,所以我沒自己做決定,而是讓他們決定。我發(fā)了條信息還有個民意測驗,讓粉絲投票選擇想從我這看到的內(nèi)容。最后收集了數(shù)千張投票,絕大多數(shù)人都希望保持正常的感覺。
多數(shù)人的觀點(diǎn)是,希望能從新聞中逃開,因為對大多數(shù)人來說,閱讀疫情報道讓人很沉重。有些意見領(lǐng)袖也在報道冠狀病毒相關(guān)話題,提供安全建議,對人們是否應(yīng)該旅行分享看法。我感覺不太自然,感覺并不是我擅長的領(lǐng)域。我承認(rèn)形勢很嚴(yán)重,但還是繼續(xù)發(fā)粉絲喜歡的內(nèi)容,比如我跟丈夫的搞笑視頻、旅行美圖,還有照顧好自己的提示,讓人們暫時忘記新聞,哪怕只是幾分鐘。
我很擔(dān)心有人罵我麻木,實際上的反饋卻恰恰相反。有急診科醫(yī)生和護(hù)士請求我按平時風(fēng)格正常發(fā)內(nèi)容,他們希望下班回家后能輕松一點(diǎn),這讓他們想起以前的生活,也能憧憬疫情過去之后的生活。
你發(fā)的很多內(nèi)容都關(guān)于旅行。疫情中你如何處理旅行方面的內(nèi)容?
很明顯不能再旅行了,這個月我必須調(diào)整博客內(nèi)容。接下來幾周內(nèi)打算發(fā)布一些旅行指南,也在計劃寫一些新指南,我也會多關(guān)注美容和生活方式,比如怎樣化妝,以及博主的幕后生活,現(xiàn)在感覺更合適。我的網(wǎng)站流量有點(diǎn)下降,但幸運(yùn)的是沒出現(xiàn)斷崖式下跌,就是因為博客題材的多樣。
我的網(wǎng)站上沒有跟新冠病毒相關(guān)的內(nèi)容。這不是我擅長的領(lǐng)域。我不是醫(yī)學(xué)專家,至于旅行方面,我認(rèn)為人們根本不應(yīng)該旅行。除此之外沒什么可說的。
疫情有沒有改變粉絲參與度?
我剛開始發(fā)布旅游美圖時感覺很奇怪,然后99%的粉絲都在說,現(xiàn)在比以往更想看到這些內(nèi)容。也許這是種逃避現(xiàn)實的方式。(Instagram)粉絲的的參與度比平常要高。
身為旅行博主,現(xiàn)在天天宅在家是什么感覺?
老實說,我感覺像是不錯的緩刑。原因是之前我花太多時間四處奔波,隨時準(zhǔn)備拖著行李箱出發(fā),宅在家里能讓我暫停一下,開始考慮長期的項目,也能趁機(jī)彌補(bǔ)一些之前的缺憾。
幸運(yùn)的是,你發(fā)布的內(nèi)容不是只關(guān)于旅行。你的題材包括美容、生活方式、家居設(shè)計,當(dāng)然,還有鐘愛的紅葡萄酒。“作品多樣性”在當(dāng)前形勢下是不是對你有幫助?
擁有多樣化的作品至關(guān)重要。如果我的收入完全依賴于旅游伙伴,現(xiàn)在財務(wù)狀況會非常不穩(wěn)定。已經(jīng)有些品牌推遲了宣傳活動,但宅在家我仍然可以做很多事:護(hù)膚產(chǎn)品評論、化妝教程還有時裝試穿。
贊助內(nèi)容方面,最重要的是疫情形勢比較敏感,要相應(yīng)調(diào)整內(nèi)容。我知道現(xiàn)在推薦口紅或晚霜可能會讓一些人感到輕浮,但說到底我也要工作,要付賬單。我只想在抗擊疫情和保持照常工作之間找到合適的平衡點(diǎn)。舉個例子,本周我也發(fā)起了慈善活動,為非營利組織Feeding America籌款。
我很幸運(yùn)的是,有個博客能通過廣告和會員鏈接產(chǎn)生額外收入,所以我計劃未來幾周和幾個月多做一些旅行以外的內(nèi)容。
你打算如何繼續(xù)和粉絲互動?
我認(rèn)為,很多內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作者對如何處理當(dāng)前情況感到束手無策,因為大家都害怕說錯或做錯。但我認(rèn)為現(xiàn)在是以完全不同的方式與跟粉絲互動的好機(jī)會。從某種意義上說,我覺得粉絲們喜歡我宅在公寓里發(fā)的內(nèi)容,比起我在圣巴特閑逛發(fā)的內(nèi)容更親切。
現(xiàn)在我的目標(biāo)是讓粉絲保持好心情,提供娛樂,為未來的旅行找些靈感,還有美容護(hù)膚小貼士。我還有個很棒的Facebook群組SilbSquad,群里全世界的女性一邊努力適應(yīng)新常態(tài),一邊尋找同伴分享。群里有準(zhǔn)新娘們?yōu)榛槎Y推遲交流經(jīng)驗和建議。另一條內(nèi)容里,女性分享適合在家工作聽的歌單和休閑服。這方面,我的粉絲會感覺比以往任何時候都更親近也更投入。
我的收入可能會受到打擊,但如果我能利用這段時間加強(qiáng)跟粉絲關(guān)系,還是感覺做了些有意義的事。而且我深信,將來會有回報。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
林賽?西爾伯曼是生活方式博主和內(nèi)容制作人,經(jīng)常去泰國等遙遠(yuǎn)景點(diǎn)旅行,有時還去墨西哥的瑪雅河等豪華酒店小住,然后將體驗發(fā)在Instagram賬戶上。她有16.5萬粉絲,粉絲們總向她詢問各種旅行建議和打包技巧,也會咨詢她喝的是哪種酒。但新冠病毒持續(xù)蔓延,她和其他許多內(nèi)容制作人問了同樣的問題:“如果人們沒法出門旅行,我該發(fā)些什么內(nèi)容?”
《財富》雜志采訪了西爾伯曼,了解新冠病毒對她日常工作的影響、公共衛(wèi)生危機(jī)下從事旅游行業(yè)的感受、現(xiàn)在如何跟粉絲互動,以及如何管理自身情緒和財務(wù)狀況。
《財富》:新冠病毒蔓延的消息傳出時,你還在圣巴特島旅行。身處相對隔離的加勒比海小島上看疫情蔓延是什么感覺?
西爾伯曼:感覺有點(diǎn)奇怪,也有點(diǎn)難過。島上還沒有受到影響,所以一切照舊。旅行最后兩天,我所有時間都用來關(guān)注新聞和社交媒體,了解家里的情況,以及到底能不能回家。朋友給我發(fā)信息說要“享受天堂吧,紐約感覺就像世界末日。”和其他人一樣,我想著人們受到各種負(fù)面影響就很難過。受重創(chuàng)的不僅僅是因病毒喪生的人,還有很多人很多行業(yè),從旅游業(yè)到小企業(yè),還有像我一樣的創(chuàng)業(yè)者都要承擔(dān)毀滅性的后果。
很多意見領(lǐng)袖和博主都面臨著一個問題:鑒于公共衛(wèi)生危機(jī)的嚴(yán)重形勢,應(yīng)該像往常一樣發(fā)布內(nèi)容還是全心關(guān)注疫情?這點(diǎn)可不能草率。你怎么打算?
我跟Instagram上粉絲的關(guān)系向來很開放也很透明,所以我沒自己做決定,而是讓他們決定。我發(fā)了條信息還有個民意測驗,讓粉絲投票選擇想從我這看到的內(nèi)容。最后收集了數(shù)千張投票,絕大多數(shù)人都希望保持正常的感覺。
多數(shù)人的觀點(diǎn)是,希望能從新聞中逃開,因為對大多數(shù)人來說,閱讀疫情報道讓人很沉重。有些意見領(lǐng)袖也在報道冠狀病毒相關(guān)話題,提供安全建議,對人們是否應(yīng)該旅行分享看法。我感覺不太自然,感覺并不是我擅長的領(lǐng)域。我承認(rèn)形勢很嚴(yán)重,但還是繼續(xù)發(fā)粉絲喜歡的內(nèi)容,比如我跟丈夫的搞笑視頻、旅行美圖,還有照顧好自己的提示,讓人們暫時忘記新聞,哪怕只是幾分鐘。
我很擔(dān)心有人罵我麻木,實際上的反饋卻恰恰相反。有急診科醫(yī)生和護(hù)士請求我按平時風(fēng)格正常發(fā)內(nèi)容,他們希望下班回家后能輕松一點(diǎn),這讓他們想起以前的生活,也能憧憬疫情過去之后的生活。
你發(fā)的很多內(nèi)容都關(guān)于旅行。疫情中你如何處理旅行方面的內(nèi)容?
很明顯不能再旅行了,這個月我必須調(diào)整博客內(nèi)容。接下來幾周內(nèi)打算發(fā)布一些旅行指南,也在計劃寫一些新指南,我也會多關(guān)注美容和生活方式,比如怎樣化妝,以及博主的幕后生活,現(xiàn)在感覺更合適。我的網(wǎng)站流量有點(diǎn)下降,但幸運(yùn)的是沒出現(xiàn)斷崖式下跌,就是因為博客題材的多樣。
我的網(wǎng)站上沒有跟新冠病毒相關(guān)的內(nèi)容。這不是我擅長的領(lǐng)域。我不是醫(yī)學(xué)專家,至于旅行方面,我認(rèn)為人們根本不應(yīng)該旅行。除此之外沒什么可說的。
疫情有沒有改變粉絲參與度?
我剛開始發(fā)布旅游美圖時感覺很奇怪,然后99%的粉絲都在說,現(xiàn)在比以往更想看到這些內(nèi)容。也許這是種逃避現(xiàn)實的方式。(Instagram)粉絲的的參與度比平常要高。
身為旅行博主,現(xiàn)在天天宅在家是什么感覺?
老實說,我感覺像是不錯的緩刑。原因是之前我花太多時間四處奔波,隨時準(zhǔn)備拖著行李箱出發(fā),宅在家里能讓我暫停一下,開始考慮長期的項目,也能趁機(jī)彌補(bǔ)一些之前的缺憾。
幸運(yùn)的是,你發(fā)布的內(nèi)容不是只關(guān)于旅行。你的題材包括美容、生活方式、家居設(shè)計,當(dāng)然,還有鐘愛的紅葡萄酒。“作品多樣性”在當(dāng)前形勢下是不是對你有幫助?
擁有多樣化的作品至關(guān)重要。如果我的收入完全依賴于旅游伙伴,現(xiàn)在財務(wù)狀況會非常不穩(wěn)定。已經(jīng)有些品牌推遲了宣傳活動,但宅在家我仍然可以做很多事:護(hù)膚產(chǎn)品評論、化妝教程還有時裝試穿。
贊助內(nèi)容方面,最重要的是疫情形勢比較敏感,要相應(yīng)調(diào)整內(nèi)容。我知道現(xiàn)在推薦口紅或晚霜可能會讓一些人感到輕浮,但說到底我也要工作,要付賬單。我只想在抗擊疫情和保持照常工作之間找到合適的平衡點(diǎn)。舉個例子,本周我也發(fā)起了慈善活動,為非營利組織Feeding America籌款。
我很幸運(yùn)的是,有個博客能通過廣告和會員鏈接產(chǎn)生額外收入,所以我計劃未來幾周和幾個月多做一些旅行以外的內(nèi)容。
你打算如何繼續(xù)和粉絲互動?
我認(rèn)為,很多內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作者對如何處理當(dāng)前情況感到束手無策,因為大家都害怕說錯或做錯。但我認(rèn)為現(xiàn)在是以完全不同的方式與跟粉絲互動的好機(jī)會。從某種意義上說,我覺得粉絲們喜歡我宅在公寓里發(fā)的內(nèi)容,比起我在圣巴特閑逛發(fā)的內(nèi)容更親切。
現(xiàn)在我的目標(biāo)是讓粉絲保持好心情,提供娛樂,為未來的旅行找些靈感,還有美容護(hù)膚小貼士。我還有個很棒的Facebook群組SilbSquad,群里全世界的女性一邊努力適應(yīng)新常態(tài),一邊尋找同伴分享。群里有準(zhǔn)新娘們?yōu)榛槎Y推遲交流經(jīng)驗和建議。另一條內(nèi)容里,女性分享適合在家工作聽的歌單和休閑服。這方面,我的粉絲會感覺比以往任何時候都更親近也更投入。
我的收入可能會受到打擊,但如果我能利用這段時間加強(qiáng)跟粉絲關(guān)系,還是感覺做了些有意義的事。而且我深信,將來會有回報。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
Instagram account from far-flung destinations like Thailand and fabulous hotels like the Rosewood Mayakoba in Mexico. Her 165,000 followers chime in with all sorts of inquiries for travel tips, packing inspiration, and which wine she’s drinking. But when news of the extremity of COVID-19’s effects hit last week, she, like many other content producers, asked the question: “If people can’t travel, what do I post about?”
Fortune spoke with Silberman for a new series, The Coronavirus Economy, to ask about how COVID-19 has affected her day-to-day work, what it’s like to work in the travel industry amid a public health crisis, how she’s engaging with her followers now, and how she’s been handling this news, both emotionally and financially.
Fortune: You were on a trip to St. Barth’s when news of COVID-19 came out. What was it like to watch the story unfold from a relatively isolated location on an island in the Caribbean?
Silberman: It was simultaneously bizarre and disheartening. The island hadn’t been affected yet, so things were business as usual. I spent the last two days of my trip completely glued to the news and social media, trying to get an understanding of what I would be coming home to—and if I would be able to get home at all. People were messaging me telling me to “enjoy paradise, because New York feels like the apocalypse.” Like everyone else, I’m heartbroken thinking about all the ways people are going to be negatively affected by this. It’s not just those who will lose their lives to the virus—it’s going to have devastating consequences for so many people and industries, from travel to small business, and entrepreneurs like myself.
Many influencers and bloggers faced this: There’s a dilemma about whether to post as usual or to focus on COVID-19, given the enormity of the public health crisis. It’s not something to take lightly. How did you handle this decision?
I’ve always had a very open, transparent relationship with my audience on Instagram, so rather than making the decision my own, I left it up to them. I wrote a message along with a poll asking people to vote on the type of content they wanted to see from me. I received thousands of votes, and the vast majority wanted a sense of normalcy.
The overwhelming sentiment was that people were craving an escape from the news, because for most of us, it has become all-consuming. Even influencers were reporting on coronavirus-related topics, giving safety advice, and sharing their perspectives on whether or not people should be traveling. That just didn’t seem natural to me, and I didn’t feel like it was my place. I acknowledged the gravity of the situation, and then continued posting the kinds of things that I know my audience enjoys—funny videos with my husband, beautiful travel photos, self-care tips—anything that would take people’s minds off the news, if just for a few minutes.
I was nervous people would call me insensitive, but in fact, the reaction has been quite the opposite. I received messages from ER doctors and nurses begging me to keep up my usual content—telling me it was what they looked forward to seeing when they got home from work because it reminded them of what life was before, and what life will be like after.
A lot of what you do is travel. How do you approach travel content at the moment?
Aside from the obvious—not being able to travel—I’ve definitely had to shift my priorities on my blog content for this month. I have a handful of travel guides that were scheduled to go live over the next few weeks, and had planned on beginning a few others, but instead I’ll be turning my attention to beauty and lifestyle content—like how to organize your makeup or the behind-the-scenes of blogging—which feels more fitting right now. My website traffic has dipped, but luckily it hasn’t done a complete nosedive, since I cover a diverse range of topics.
One thing I’m not doing is covering anything COVID-related on my site. It’s not my place. I’m not a medical expert, and in terms of travel, my opinion is that people shouldn’t be traveling at all. So there’s not much to say beyond that.
Has it changed your engagement metrics?
At first it felt weird to post beautiful travel photos [on my feed], but the feedback I’ve gotten from 99% of my followers is that they want to see that kind of thing now more than ever. It’s a form of escapism, I guess. The engagement on my [Instagram] feed has also been higher than normal.
What does it feel like for you to be so homebound?
To be honest, for me it’s a welcome reprieve. I guess because I spend so much time running around and essentially living out of a suitcase, being home has allowed me to take a pause, start thinking about long-term projects, and catch up on things that had been falling through the cracks.
Luckily, you don’t cover travel-related content alone. Your topics include beauty, lifestyle, home design, and, of course, an enthusiasm for rosé. How has this “diversity of your portfolio,” so to speak, benefited you in a time such as this?
Having a diverse portfolio has been crucial. If I relied solely on travel partnerships for my revenue, I would be in a really precarious financial situation right now. I’ve had a handful of brands postpone campaigns, but there’s still a lot I can do from home: skin-care product reviews, makeup tutorials, and fashion try-ons.
The most important thing when it comes to sponsored content right now is being overly sensitive to the situation, and adjusting the content accordingly. While I know that talking about a lipstick or a night cream might feel frivolous to some, at the end of the day, I still have a business to run and bills to pay. I’m just trying to make sure I strike the right balance between addressing what’s happening and trying to continue with business as usual. For example, I launched a charitable initiative to raise money for Feeding America this week.
I’m also lucky in that I have a blog generating additional income, through ads and affiliate links, so I plan to churn out a lot of non-travel content over the next few weeks and months.
How do you plan on continuing to inspire your followers?
I think a lot of content creators are paralyzed with how to handle the situation on their platforms, because no one wants to say or do the wrong thing. But I actually think now is the perfect opportunity to engage your community in a completely different way. In a sense, I think my followers like the content that I’m posting while holed up in my apartment because it’s much more relatable than when I’m gallivanting in St Barth’s.
My goal right now is to keep my audience in good spirits—to provide entertainment, inspiration for future travel, and beauty and skin-care tips. I also run an incredible Facebook group, The SilbSquad, where women all over the world are finding community as they struggle in adjusting to their new normal. We have a thread where brides-to-be are exchanging tips and advice for postponed weddings; in another thread, women are sharing work-from-home playlists and loungewear recommendations. In that respect, my audience feels closer and more engaged than ever.
My income might be taking a hit right now, but if I can use this time to strengthen my relationship with them, I’ll still feel like I’ve accomplished something. I have no doubt it will end up paying off in the future.