ON TODAY’S EPISODE:

What Kyle creates at Sommer Letter Co [3:09]
Which marketing platforms she focused on pre-TikTok [3:46]
What drew her to TikTok and how she got started [4:40]
Her experience of TikTok before using it for her business [5:29]
Kyle’s first TikTok video [6:08]
Content that has worked well for her TikTok strategy [7:04]
Why she creates longer videos as opposed to shorter ones [8:31]
Concerns she had before starting her TikTok journey [8:58]
How she’s found her community on the platform [10:03]
Her strategy for including a call to action and leading people to her store [11:17]
Kyle’s thoughts on repurposing TikToks as Instagram Reels [12:45]
What she measures to make sure the ROI on her time is worth it [14:21]
Her experience with growing her business slowly and intentionally [16:25]
How she’s incorporated her slow growth philosophy into what she creates on TikTok [18:27]
Misconceptions people have about TikTok [19:16]
Advice for getting started on TikTok for your business [21:16]
Her core messaging on TikTok [26:03]
What she’s working on next [26:43]

Download These Quotables to Save and Share

KEY TAKE AWAYS

“People are having a lot of success. And when I say success, I don't just mean followers. No, I mean it's tracking the sales for sure.” - Katie Hunt [6:45]

“Some of my best videos are educational content, whether that's related to being a watercolor artist, being a business owner, even just educating about my products or what I do as a business owner every day.” - Kyle Sommer [7:26]

“TikTok is about being real and being a person and showing the messy.” - Kyle Sommer [12:21]

“I've actually met new wholesale accounts on TikTok as well. So it's not just direct to consumer, but it's also other opportunities for revenue.” - Kyle Sommer [14:34]

“Going viral is not a sustainable way to run a business.” - Kyle Sommer [18:37]

“People get bored on TikTok and they just scroll by. So you've got to keep it moving, keep it interesting, keep their attention.” - Kyle Sommer [23:15]

RESOURCES

173 | Creating Social Change Through Products & Intentional Business Practices with Betsy Garcia, Bloomwolf Studio
Paper Camp

MEET KYLE:

I make stationery and gifts featuring my watercolor artwork. My brand likes to keep it classy, but a little undone. I imagine my brand has bare feet and wears daisies in her hair. I love a sweet note with a simple message. I'm hugely inspired by nature, and I love vibrant colors.

CONNECT WITH KYLE

Website: www.sommerletterco.com | Instagram: @sommerletterco | TikTok: @sommerletterco

Connect with Katie Hunt

Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.

Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct

Transcript for Proof to Product Episode 210

DOWNLOAD THE TRANSCRIPT

Katie Hunt [00:00:03] We're taking you behind the scenes with entrepreneurs that run product based businesses. There is so much information out there tailored toward service providers. So we have carved out a space just for you, the creative entrepreneurs making and selling physical goods. We're firm believers that everyone has a story to share.

Katie Hunt [00:00:35] Hey, friends, I'm Katie Hunt, and welcome back to Proof to Product. Both my marketing and the analytical side of me are giddy for you to hear today's podcast episode with Kyle Summer. This is like an in-process case study about how Kyle is utilizing TikTok to grow her visibility, increase traffic to her website and most importantly, increase her sales. Now, Kyle is a Paper Camp alumni. She's the owner of Sommer Letter Co., where she makes stationery and gifts featuring watercolor artwork. She describes her brand as classy, but a little undone. She's hugely inspired by nature and vibrant colors, which she brings into her product line. Since joining TikTok three months ago, Kyle has amassed almost 12000 followers. But more importantly than the number of followers she has seen, her website traffic increased by 30 percent and her daily sales in her online shop have increased by more than 15 percent. On today's episode, Kyle shares how she got started on TikTok and why she committed to posting on TikTok daily for two whole months. That was her testing ground. And then she looked at analytics. We talked about her journey of TikTok exploration, how TikTok is different from Instagram. We talked about content strategies that she's using and also not using and which analytics she's monitoring so that she can track audience and financial growth. She can track back the work she's doing on TikTok directly to sales. Real quick, though, I wanted to let you know that we will be opening the doors to camp soon. And you're going to want to get on the waitlist by going to ProoftoProduct.com/papercamp. Paper Camp is our signature program where we teach you everything you need to know to start, grow and scale the wholesale side of your business. We have helped thousands of brands, including Kyle, prep their business for wholesale. Our paper camp alumni sell to stores like Target and Anthropologie, Barnes and Noble, Container Store, as well as independent boutiques all around the world. Join the waitlist at ProoftoProduct.com/papercamp and you will get first access to tickets. I will tell you, too, that we intentionally keep our class sizes small because I want you to get hands-on help and I want you to connect with other students. And I'll also mention that we have sold out every single time we've offered this program over the last ten years. So definitely join that waitlist at ProoftoProduct.com/papercamp. All right. Let's get into all sorts of goodness around TikTok with Kyle Sommer of Sommer Letter Co. Hey, Kyle, welcome to the show.

Kyle Sommer [00:03:00] Hi Katie, I'm so excited to be here.

Katie Hunt [00:03:01] I'm really excited to chat with you today. Before we jump in to talking about TikTok and how it's transformed your business, tell everyone what you create and what you sell.

Kyle Sommer [00:03:09] OK, so I'm primarily an artist. First, I make stationery and greeting cards featuring my watercolor designs, lots of florals, lots of nature, lots of colorful stuff, very wholesome, heartfelt and encouraging.

Katie Hunt [00:03:23] I love that, you know you know your tagline there, OK? And you sell direct to consumer as well as wholesale, correct?

Kyle Sommer [00:03:29] Yes. Actually, direct to consumer is the larger portion of my business. So I'm interested in growing wholesale, but it's newer for me.

Katie Hunt [00:03:36] Awesome. OK, pre TikTok, before you joined, TikTok. What marketing platforms were you focused on and did you feel like they were doing a good job of driving sales for you?

Kyle Sommer [00:03:46] So back in the day I tried a little blogging. Too much effort, not enough return. I've been on Instagram for five years and it took me about five years to get two thousand followers. So I'm not a major account on Instagram. I'm not wildly successful there. I do outreach pop up shows and I obviously have my wholesale line. So those are kind of my main outreach and marketing focuses. But TikTok has been a game changer.

Katie Hunt [00:04:14] Yeah. So let's talk about it. You've used TikTok as a way to grow your business and in two months, correct me if these stats are wrong, but the stats I have in two months, you gained over eight thousand followers and you started making daily sales in your online shop.

Kyle Sommer [00:04:29] Yes. So I'm actually almost twelve thousand now. I'll probably be at twelve thousand by the end of the day.

Katie Hunt [00:04:34] That is insane. How did you get started with TikTok? Like what drew you to the platform to even start playing with it?

Kyle Sommer [00:04:40] Well, I listen to your episode with Betsy at Bloomwolf and Betsy are actually friends in real life. We've done some shows together. And so I reached out to Betsy and I said, hey, I've seen you be successful in TikTok. What's going on with that? Should I give it a try? And she really encouraged me. So I decided I would do a two month trial every day, posting like my best effort, see what happens, and then evaluate if that had an impact on my bottom line or not.

Katie Hunt [00:05:07] OK, I love how methodical you were about this. I'm going to set a time parameter for which I'm going to try this. I'm going to set an intention to do this every day. I'm going to analyze the results at the end of this period to see if it's worth it to continue. So were you I want to dove into more of the details, but like, were you using TikTok as a consumer before you started using it for your business?

Kyle Sommer [00:05:29] I was not. And I'm going to be honest, TikTok. Scared the heck out of me.

Katie Hunt [00:05:33] Why? What is it specifically?

Kyle Sommer [00:05:36] The way I described it on my Instagram is I felt like a very old woman entering a very loud arcade, and then I would just like delete the app and be like, I can't I don't know what this is. I don't understand it. So when I made that dedication, it was not only to, like, use the app, but also to learn the app. I was not previously a TikTok user.

Katie Hunt [00:05:57] So what was the very first video you did? Like what did you dip your toe in with and did you pre plan for any of this or did you just set the timer like, OK, we're doing two months and let me figure it out from day one?

Kyle Sommer [00:06:08] Well, I set the timer and went from it, went for it. I didn't have any plans. And my first video, I think, was like my five year small business journey. And like, there's so many things I would change about that video now. But, you know, I learned what I was doing, so that's cool.

Katie Hunt [00:06:23] So let's talk about content, the types of content that is like there's a ton of I studied TikTok last summer. I started playing with it and then I encouraged my mastermind clients to do so, which is why well, one of the reasons it's not the only reason Betsy started playing with it. Shayna from Steel Petal Press had great success with it. Sarah McNally started posting a lot like people are having a lot of success. And when I say success, I don't just mean followers. No, I mean that it's tracking the sales for sure. Yeah.

Kyle Sommer [00:06:53] We're talking about thousands of dollars.

Katie Hunt [00:06:55] Yes. Thousands of dollars of sales. So let's talk about content that has worked well for you on TikTok. What are you doing? How do you structure that?

Kyle Sommer [00:07:04] OK, so one thing that really surprised me about not being a TikTok user before this is that I thought it was about humor and dancing and music and I was not aware how to talk is super generous with educational content. And so some of my best videos are educational content, whether that's related to things like being a watercolor artist, being a business owner, even just educating about my products or what I do as a business owner every day. That stuff has been by far the most shared, most interacted with and has led to the most purchases.

Katie Hunt [00:07:38] So are you sharing what supplies you're using? What like just behind the scenes, things like that?

Kyle Sommer [00:07:44] Yeah. Sometimes it's telling a story like why I designed a particular car. Sometimes it's teaching something of value about my work or my niche. So showing my journey as an artist and how I've improved over time or even just like basic tools in my studio. My second video was about the lamp that I use as an artist and it got 50000 views and I had twenty followers at the time. I was like, what is this app?

Katie Hunt [00:08:10] How does that like the numbers don't even compute? They don't like what they don't.

Kyle Sommer [00:08:15] I had never, ever gotten anything close to that on Instagram, so I was in shock.

Katie Hunt [00:08:20] I bet. OK, are there any, like, quantum pieces that you've tried that have been complete dud that you wouldn't do again, that you tried once or twice and you're like, that's not really resonating with my people.

Kyle Sommer [00:08:31] A lot of TikTok experts recommend that you keep your videos short. And I don't know why, but my longest videos always do the best. So I think maybe it's the voice and the style of my content. But, yeah, the shorter videos haven't been that successful for me, like the trends and things like that.

Katie Hunt [00:08:48] Were there any hang ups before you got started? Like, were you nervous about showing your face or doing videos or what were some of your concerns heading into it?

Kyle Sommer [00:08:58] So I was pretty comfortable with showing my face and doing video because I did stories for, you know, five years or whatever. But I was really nervous about the trolls once I realized the volume of viewers that I would be getting every day. And there for sure is some negativity that comes with that volume. I don't think that's a TikTok specific problem. I think it's just any time you're getting thousands and thousands of interactions on it, something, you're going to get some pushback. So I think it more came with the volume than it did the app.

Katie Hunt [00:09:29] No, I get that, too. And I'm on TikTok less now than I was when I was kind of testing it out not quite a year ago. But it was such a positive place like it really was a lot of people encouraging each other, cheering people on. And yes, I agree with you, like at certain volumes, there's always going to be people that are negative and pulling you down. But I feel like there's a very unique community there. Have you had an easy time finding that community or have you been surprised by the types of people or the types of accounts that are following you and engaging with you?

Kyle Sommer [00:10:03] So I've been really surprised by the community. At first I didn't know where to look, right? I was like, where are the people who I'm interested in? And I started looking more on small business, TikTok. And there I was able to find people who were in different types of businesses, but were also posting content about their products or their creation, art or stuff like that. And they've been so encouraging and so kind. Like I've made friends on TikTok now.

Katie Hunt [00:10:32] It reminds me of Twitter back in the day, like. I know I've said this in the past on the show, but like our core paper can speakers. Yeah, and like my crew of people that I came up in the stationary world with, I met all them on Twitter. It was before Instagram was even around. And it was we were all prepping for the stationery show and talking on Twitter and stuff like that. And it's funny how these online relationships evolve to become real friendships and people that we brainstorm with and make decisions with about our business and all of that. OK, let's talk about going back to the content real quick. I want to circle back what kind of calls to action are you adding to your videos or what are you doing to specifically lead people that are watching your videos to actually shop in your online store?

Kyle Sommer [00:11:17] So I think TikTok is more about a relationship for my customers than it is about promoting the products, because if it feels like an ad, people are going to scroll right by it. So it's about showing your products and teaching like how you make them and showing the value of them in ways that are really organic, like here's how I use my calendar or this is who I would send this greeting card to or why Mother's Day is really hard for moms with infertility. So talking about issues and real life and not promoting stuff in such an in-your-face kind of way.

Katie Hunt [00:11:55] Yeah, and not such a polished way to one of the things that drew me to TikTok was that it was just pretty raw. It wasn't, you know, everyone's made up and filters. And I mean, there's some of that, of course, but it's just a lot of just on the fly that people create and post to.

Kyle Sommer [00:12:12] Absolutely. I find it way easier to create TikTok content, because on Instagram it's about the aesthetics and it's about presenting beautiful content. But TikTok is about being real and being a person and showing kind of the messy edges. And so it's way easier for me to put out this unpolished content. Whereas Instagram, I feel like I have to spend hours and hours coming up with the perfect caption and the perfect lighting before anything is ready to post.

Katie Hunt [00:12:38] Yeah. So are you repurposing your TikTok videos as Real's on Instagram?

Kyle Sommer [00:12:45] I've done a few, but honestly, no. The main reason being that Instagram only has 30 second videos on Brielle's right now, and most of my TikToks are like forty five seconds to a minute long. And so they don't really translate over well without more editing, but it's something I've thought about.

Katie Hunt [00:13:03] Yeah, it's definitely something I've thought about too. And then too with the watermarks I've heard that Instagram like with the like when you take a video out of TikTok for anyone listening, it has a TikTok watermark on it. And I've heard that Instagram doesn't really like that and the throttle views on videos that have the watermark. So I've seen a lot more people that are doing it and reels and then repurposing it on TikTok. But also to your point, the content, the way it's presented the aesthetic of it on Instagram is very different than TikTok. So I don't like yes, we can repurpose these things, but I also feel like it doesn't land the same on both platforms.

Kyle Sommer [00:13:39] It really doesn't. There are a couple of posts that I've put on both platforms and some have done amazingly well on tech talk and flopped on Instagram and the couple have done really well for me on Instagram and totally flopped on TikTok. I just think they're different communities and so they want different things.

Katie Hunt [00:13:58] What are you measuring? Because they know I mean, the fact that you did this two month trial and you're looking at the results, what are you measuring on an ongoing basis to make sure that the time you're investing in tick tock to create the content and engage with people and you know, it is a marketing vehicle for you. It is driving sales to your business. But what are you measuring? What are you checking in on? What kind of data points?

Kyle Sommer [00:14:21] I'm looking at my Web traffic, so visits per day. Overall, I've seen a pretty large increase in my website visitors from TikTok. And then I'm also looking at the revenue bottom line of sales coming in. And I've actually met new wholesale accounts on TikTok as well. So it's not just direct to consumer, but it's also other opportunities for revenue.

Katie Hunt [00:14:42] So it sounds like you're taking those daily or weekly or what are you doing there?

Kyle Sommer [00:14:47] I keep a close eye on it. So if not daily, then for sure, every week I do a check in and kind of compare last year to this year, last month to this month, last quarter to this quarter, all of those things.

Katie Hunt [00:14:59] So you're my kind of girl. I'm constantly looking at those kinds of comparison data points.

Kyle Sommer [00:15:04] Is it working? Is it working?

Katie Hunt [00:15:06] Well, because otherwise we continue to push into something. We give it time, we give it our energy. Sometimes we give it money for research or just general resources. Right. And if it's not working, we need to pull back and not not focus there. Do you mind sharing some stats? How have your website visitor stats jumped? You mentioned a lot, but would you be willing to share?

Kyle Sommer [00:15:26] Yeah, I would say so. I'm pretty sure compared to pre-TikTok. Same year. 2021. My pre-TikTok website visits were about 30 percent lower than what they are right now.

Katie Hunt [00:15:39] Wow.

Kyle Sommer [00:15:40] Big increase for me. And then as far as revenue, revenue is closer to a 15 percent increase in revenue. But again, I've only been on TikTok for three months, so it's still fairly new to those customers. And I am getting a lot of repeat visitors. So I do think that number will increase as they get warmed up and more comfortable with me and my brand.

Katie Hunt [00:16:01] Yeah, I think it'll be fascinating for you to take a look at the like six month point and also the year point of how is yeah, for sure. Business. I know that you and I both share a warm, fuzzy feeling for a slow, steady growth in our business. What do you what is your experience been with growing your business slowly but intentionally, not just tied to TikTok but also in general?

Kyle Sommer [00:16:25] Well, as you know, I have a really slow business growth journey. I am not a miracle overnight unicorn. I started five years ago doing weddings, about three years ago I transferred into more retail and greeting cards focus. And I frankly did not pay myself for the first four and a half years. And that was really hard and really discouraging at the time because I saw friends around me doing amazing and I was like, what am I missing? Where's the secret sauce?

Katie Hunt [00:16:54] Which for clarification, it was just about not having found your group yet, right?

Kyle Sommer [00:17:00] Yeah, I didn't have as much skill developed as an artist. I didn't have as much skill developed as an entrepreneur. Understanding how to market was an entirely new world for me. I didn't go to business school, so I had a lot of skills that I had to learn in addition to the art skills I already possessed. And now I feel like I'm in this point where my art skills and my business skills are lining up and it is just like pouring gasoline on my business. It's really grown.

Katie Hunt [00:17:26] So I've known you for a while because you took Paper Camp, you know, like and I can see I can hear the confidence and the confidence, the confidence in your voice and in your face right now, because we can see each other on the screen right now, like, yeah, it's it's changed. You're so much more confident now. And I can see that, you know, where you're headed and where you want to go. And even if it's slowly that you're on the right path for what you want to be doing, I mean, do you feel that way, too?

Kyle Sommer [00:17:54] Absolutely. I feel like the first four years was like business school, unofficially, you know, Paper Camp and all of the other research that went into learning how to be a business person. And now I feel like we're moving. We're moving and grooving.

Katie Hunt [00:18:09] The train is going, I love it. You know, how do you weave this slow growth philosophy into what you create on TikTok and how you've TikTok I mean, I know it's still fairly new for you three months in, but I assume that that's that's embedded into who you are and how you're growing your business. So it would also be embedded into your marketing?

Kyle Sommer [00:18:27] Yeah, absolutely. My goals with TikTok are not to go viral because I understand that going viral is not a sustainable way to run a business. And so I think a lot of people get on TikTok and they're hoping for that magic video where they get orders and orders and orders from their website. But for me, I'm more focused on building a community of people there who enjoy my products, who understand what my brand is about, who are interested in my art. And it's more of a slower, smaller community than it is trying to get huge viral videos.

Katie Hunt [00:18:57] Well too, a smaller, engaged community can yield much stronger results sales wise and visits your website wise, then sometimes the viral stuff, too. What misconceptions do you think people have about TikTok? I mean, there's a lot of, like, assumptions people make before they ever engage with the app. What do you think those are?

Kyle Sommer [00:19:16] OK, so if you've never been on the app, you probably think that it's for kids and that there's dancing and humor. And that's true. There are a lot of kids and there is dancing and there is humor, but there's a huge community of people with disposable income on TikTok. And so there is money to be made there. My customer average order value from TikTok is higher than my customer average order value on Instagram. It's surprising how many people are there that don't fit the stereotype of youth. And yeah, I guess you youth and then you don't have to dance. That would be my other one. That is a stereotype. My friend likes to say that Kyle has a strict no dancing policy. And so I was not interested in TikTok because I was like, I am not going to make a fool out of myself on camera. But there's a place for me on TikTok and there's a place for educational content and valuable content.

Katie Hunt [00:20:07] Totally. If you could go back again, would you like lurk for a little bit and see what people are doing or would you jump straight in like you did this time around?

Kyle Sommer [00:20:17] I'm really glad I jumped straight and I would do it again. I think it worked out really well and it's continuing to grow. And I enjoy the learn as you go approach. As you know, that's how my business started. I just started and learned as I went. And so that's sort of been my approach with TikTok too.

Katie Hunt [00:20:34] All right, so people listening right now, they might be kind of warming up to the idea of getting onto TikTok they're hearing you talk about the success you've had. They can hear how much fun you're having with it. I also want to say to like, I love hearing how you are having fun with it and how you're building a community and engaging with other people, because so often we're hearing about how marketing channels are draining people. They're exhausting people. I can't keep up with the content creation and all of this, but it seems like you've been kind of doing it at your own pace as you're inspired to do things. So for those listening that are starting to warm up to this idea of like maybe I should check out TikTok. Do you have any concrete tips or strategies or advice that you want to offer them that they could implement?

Kyle Sommer [00:21:16] Yeah, I have tons and tons of notes on this. So one thing I would say is you've got to evaluate before you start. Do I have the time and the desire to learn this new platform? Because if you don't and your business is already more than you can keep up with, it's not for you. You don't have to do it just because everybody else is doing it. And you really pointed out how I like it. I enjoy tick, and that's so true. So for me, it's fun to connect with people on there. If it's not fun for you, go do something else. Don't waste your time. But tips for good to talk content. I'm pulling out my notes. I wrote lots of notes for you.

Katie Hunt [00:21:51] I love this. I love the go down. Break them down.

Kyle Sommer [00:21:54] TikTok is fast. So you have about three seconds to capture someone's attention. So it really helps to front loaded your videos with a good hook. Whether it's a question like, hey, do you want to see my art go up from twenty sixteen to now? Or a tip like one tool I absolutely recommend for artists is some kind of hook to get your customer interested in The video is really important. The same goes visually. It can be a visual hook, like something beautiful, interesting, funny, something like that. And then I would always say to prepare your words and use them wisely because TikTok is so fast you don't have time for redundancies. People want you to pack content into short videos. And so you've got to go, go, go.

Katie Hunt [00:22:39] Do you write scripts then for your stuff? So you keep it real concise?

Kyle Sommer [00:22:43] I do. It's not like a formal script, but I have my notebook and I scribble out the basic outline and some phrases that I want to be sure to include in my video every single time I film.

Katie Hunt [00:22:53] That's awesome. All right. Keep going. I didn't mean to interrupt you.

Kyle Sommer [00:22:56] Oh, you're totally fine. And then I would say keep your clips in each video short. So even if the video is a minute long, people don't want to see a one minute time lapse from the same angle of your painting that's going to get scrolled past so you could change up your camera angles. You could insert B roll type footage, show your face, people get bored on TikTok and they just scroll by. So you've got to keep it moving, keep it interesting, keep their attention.

Katie Hunt [00:23:22] Those are fantastic tips. I feel like it's evolved even since I was studying it last year. I mean, I think that the camera angles and keeping things draw the hook is definitely a great tip that they should take into consideration. And the words like you really do only have a short window of time to capture their attention and to keep them there, too. Yeah, absolutely. What are your thoughts on music to like using the trending music or the up and coming music? Should people be studying that and focusing on them?

Kyle Sommer [00:23:53] I do enjoy the music. If it's like a day in the Life video, like a vlog style video. But I personally don't focus super a ton on music because if your content is well ticked off, it's going to send it to people who are interested in your niche. So it doesn't really matter if you have the trending sounds that can be helpful. But if your whole channel is just focused around trends and trending sounds, it's not really about anything of value. And so you've got to be clear how it relates to your niche, how it relates to your customer, make it interesting and keep it focused. If people click on your page, they should know that you're an artist or a creator. They should know that you're offering products. They should be able to see that immediately and not see things like your beach vacation and photos of your dog and like your hobbies, because they're not going to subscribe to a channel that's not focused on a content that they're interested in.

Katie Hunt [00:24:47] I love that you said this because I think this kind of goes back to old school marketing techniques and tactics of we need to keep it super tight and have like core things that we talk about. So like you said, showing people that you sell products, showing people what you sell and like the style in which you make those products to talking about who you are as an artist and what inspires and motivates you, because, again, that's tied back to the business. It's tied back to the products you're making, the tools you use, the resources. That educational piece. I know there's a lot of people that sell physical products that are like, I'm not a coach, I'm not a business adviser, I'm not an educator. But the fact of the matter is, all of you guys have a ton of knowledge in your head from the trial and error that you've done growing your business.

Kyle Sommer [00:25:31] Absolutely. And people want to hear it.

Katie Hunt [00:25:33] They do and they want to hear for a few reasons, one, because they're either looking for that content to help them in their own business, two, they're curious about how other people are doing the same things that they're doing. And if there's a better way. And three people just love hearing behind the scenes, especially of small businesses. So I like how you broke that down. So then do you have kind of like five core content buckets, if you will, if we were going to put, like, a strategy around this, do you have any sense of like these are the five things I talk about on TikTok to bring it all home and keep it.

Kyle Sommer [00:26:03] I've never like named them all in a list. But if I think about it, yeah, I talk about watercolor art. I talk about entrepreneurship for product based businesses. I do talk a little bit about tech talk marketing because some people are like, how did you grow so fast? And then I do some like a tons of behind the scenes tools, you know, blogs, packing orders, stuff like that. So and questions. I forgot that one. If people ask you questions, answer them. People like to hear, you know, you never know what other customer has the same questions. Sometimes those answers to customer questions can be really popular videos too.

Katie Hunt [00:26:37] Totally OK, what is next for you? What are you focused on for the next like three, four or five months or so?

Kyle Sommer [00:26:43] So I'm working on for the first time an undated planner, which I'm really excited about because I get so many requests for planners and being a little scared after twenty 20 was wild. I don't want an inventory that has an expiration date. So this is a way for me to dip my toe into that and try it in a safe way. I'm hoping to be able to offer it this fall. So that's really exciting. And then I'm getting back, that is now I'm getting back into shows after many, many months of absence. So I'm excited to go to Chicago and Louisville, Grand Rapids later this summer now that I'm vaccinated and to see some customers in person.

Katie Hunt [00:27:22] Oh, that'll be great. We've had a lot of conversations in our LABS community and I see no spiking in our community to have like now that people are getting vaccinated and things are opening up a little bit more, what should I be doing? I think I'm actually going to do a solo episode of, like, how to determine if this is the right thing for you to be focused on, because I know some people are, like, ready to roll and get back out there in person. And other people are like, not yet. I'm not ready for that.

Kyle Sommer [00:27:47] So, yeah, I think I'm getting toward the end of the summer for me personally. Yeah.

Katie Hunt [00:27:52] Yeah. Well, as you said, a very personal decision. It's a personal thing. Cool. OK, where can people find you online? We also got to mention your TikTok handle for us, but share your website and everything else.

Kyle Sommer [00:28:03] My website is sommerletterco.com. That's summer with an O so it's s o m e r and then I'm on the same on TikTok, Instagram everywhere. Summerletterco.

Katie Hunt [00:28:14] Awesome. Well friends that are listening go check out Kyle's TikTok for more inspiration and just to see how she's doing things. You've had tremendous growth Kyle and I'm so excited for you that you've found something that feels like fun for you and you're also seeing positive results of growing your business, growing your revenue and creating that community that we talked about too.

Kyle Sommer [00:28:35] Yeah. Thanks so much for having me, Katie.

Katie Hunt [00:28:37] It was my pleasure. And congrats on all your success.

Kyle Sommer [00:28:40] Thank you.

Katie Hunt [00:28:41] All right, friends, I hope you learn some new things about TikTok today and are inspired to go explore and see how it could benefit your product based business. Over on TikTok I'm at Proof to Product and I follow a number of our Proof to Product community members as well as Kyle. So you could use that as a jumping off point to if you want to study or see what Kyle and others are doing and be sure to to check the notes for all of Kyle's links, you can follow her directly. Also, before I go, I need you to do two things for me. The first is, if you found this podcast episode helpful, please head over to Apple podcast and leave us a five star rating and write a review. I read each and every one, and it helps our show out tremendously. And secondly, if you want to see your products lining the shelves of your favorite stores, I want you to go join the waitlist for Paper Camp. I only offer this program twice a year and we sell out every single time. Everyone on the waitlist gets first dibs on tickets. So head to ProoftoProduct.com/papercamp to save your seat. That is all I have for you today. Thank you for listening. Thank you for sharing with your friends. I will be back next week with a new episode.