Outside content material creation gives a possibility to flex your creativity whereas exploring the wilderness. It’s a good way to assist join others to backcountry adventures too. Certainly, many out of doors adventurers are keen to seek out methods to leverage social media and different digital platforms to align their passions with their work. That’s why we began our out of doors content material creator sequence!

On this sequence, we ask several types of out of doors content material creators:

• How they received began in out of doors content material creation
• What they take pleasure in about being out of doors content material creators
• How they steadiness content material creation with merely having fun with the outside
• Ideas they’ve for others trying to get into the sphere

In half one, we chatted with our very personal model ambassador, Michelle Zhang, about what it’s like being a model ambassador and her recommendation for getting began as one. In half two, we dove into all issues gear with Liz Thomas, editor-in-chief at Treeline Overview!

Now, partly three of our out of doors content material creator sequence, we’re taking a hike into all issues TikTok with Kacy Guajardo, also referred to as @kacystrails! 

Kacy Guajardo is a Colorado-based hiker, skier, and type-2 fun-seeker. Her TikTok account focuses on academic and provoking out of doors content material. Right now, she has greater than 50,000 followers on the platform. We caught up with Kacy to study extra about what it’s like being a TikTok influencer and the way others can get began too!

Gossamer Gear: Are you able to begin by telling us just a little about how you bought began making out of doors content material on TikTok?

Kacy: I’ve at all times liked sharing my adventures with family and friends on Instagram, so when TikTok got here up in 2020, it was a pure development for me. I labored in social media for a number of skilled sports activities groups in faculty and early in my profession, so it’s been cool to make use of my skilled abilities for content material that I’m actually obsessed with. My mother and father mentioned that the video format makes it simpler for them to remain linked to me and observe my life since I’m so dangerous at calling residence. Sorry, mother and pa!

What about short-form video do you suppose helps encourage others?

It’s fast and to the purpose. Once I’m searching for recommendation on gear or a fast evaluation, I don’t wish to learn an excellent lengthy article or sit by way of a 10-minute YouTube video. It’s a simple method to share data with out getting slowed down within the particulars. I would like my followers to have the ability to scroll by way of my web page and get all the knowledge they should get into backpacking with out spending hours researching themselves. I put a number of time and analysis into my academic content material so I is usually a one-stop useful resource for brand spanking new adventurers!

What’s the time dedication like for enhancing movies, sharing them, interacting with followers, and all that jazz?

It takes much more time than you’d suppose! I usually spend about 10 to fifteen hours per week specializing in my social media. Interacting with my followers is my favourite a part of it, so I spend a number of time replying to feedback and constructing my group. My aim for TikTok has at all times been to construct an superior group of rad adventurers that I contemplate pals relatively than simply followers, in order that’s why I put partaking with my viewers above all else.

How do you select which manufacturers to focus on or companion with? What sort of issues do manufacturers count on from you and what do you count on in return?

I attempt to companion with firms that I really feel are a pure match for me in my life. With Gossamer Gear, I used a GG pack on my thru-hike of the Colorado Path in 2020 and have been an enormous supporter of the corporate ever since. I discovered myself recommending their merchandise to everybody I knew, so it simply made sense for me to shoot my shot with them, and I’m so glad I did! I feel my GG content material did very well as a result of I had the liberty to create what I felt would work finest on my web page and it translated properly to the model web page too. Freedom to create is significant to an excellent partnership!

I additionally desire to work with smaller firms with in-house advertising groups as a result of I really feel like I can join on a deeper degree with the model. Sometimes, the workers of outside firms share related pursuits within the outside, so they only get it. It’s necessary to me that every model deal is collaborative, however I even have the liberty to create as a result of there’s not a cookie-cutter template for a profitable advert. 

Is it laborious to steadiness curating content material on a display with having fun with the second within the outside? How do you discover your steadiness?

I attempt to maintain a robust boundary with myself after I’m within the outside in order that I don’t begin feeling like each hike is a content material journey. I’ll set my intention earlier than I head out—like, okay, this journey is for content material, so I’ll carry my digital camera gear and never really feel dangerous about taking longer on a hike. A variety of my journeys, although, I set the intention of staying current and off my telephone as a result of mountain climbing is my time. It’s actually necessary to me to carry this boundary as a result of I don’t wish to lose my love for the outside by filming each second of my journey.

Do you will have any recommendation for others who could also be excited by sharing their out of doors content material on TikTok?

Simply begin posting! Your first few (hundred, lol) movies will in all probability be crap, however don’t fear an excessive amount of about that. You’ll discover your content material model and your workflow will develop into simpler and extra environment friendly. An enormous a part of this for me was getting over the concern and embarrassment of filming in public. It’s at all times going to be low-key embarrassing, however for me, I do know my content material helps so many individuals navigate the out of doors way of life, so I simply need to remind myself why I’m doing it! You possibly can’t join with individuals until you set your self on the market, and belief me, it’s value it!

Use Brief Movies to Educate and Encourage Different Outside Fans on TikTok

Our foremost takeaway from chatting with Kacy is that brief movies could be actually impactful for educating people who find themselves newer to backpacking or different out of doors actions. We additionally discovered how this way can create significant group. Turning into a TikTok influencer is a time dedication, however with wholesome boundaries round when you’re and will not be creating new content material, you may nonetheless discover loads of time to easily benefit from the outside.

You possibly can observe Kacy on TikTok at @kacystrails. 

And we wish to see your brief movies with our merchandise! Tag us on social media (@gossamergear) and utilizing the hashtag #takelessdomore to point out off your out of doors content material creation abilities. 

Have one other kind of outside business gig you’re inquisitive about? Attain out and tell us at korrin@gossamergear.com. We’ll see if we are able to spherical up one other interview to study all about it!