We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erica Bullard a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Erica, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
When you first enter the content-creating space, comparing yourself and your content to other successful content creators is easy. When invited to specific events, you feel you’re not worthy of being there or uncomfortable because you’re surrounded by creators far ahead of you on this journey. To overcome imposter syndrome, I had to remember why I decided to create content and who my content is impacting. There is a reason new doors are opening for me, and I have accepted I deserve the success that’s coming to me. The people want more than I have to offer, and I will give it to them!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
Hi! I’m Erica Bullard, a content creator, blogger, and influencer. My content centers on trying new restaurants, visiting travel destinations, experiencing local events & activities, and reviewing products and services. At first, I started creating content to share my new restaurants with the world. Learning people visit those restaurants and look to me as a personal guide made the hard work of producing content t worth it! Also, because of my large platform, the number of people visiting the restaurant or purchasing the products or services helps increase the business’s revenue. That means a lot to me, especially helping a small business.
My content/brand is unique because I’m personable and authentic. When people watch my content, they always say they feel like they are talking to their friend on Facetime. I have the talent of keeping you hooked to my video because you never know what will come from my mouth. Unlike typical Reviewers/Influencers, I add specialized commentary to my videos that’ll have you dying of laughter or questioning if I said that. My content is entertaining yet informative!
I use the tagline “Girl Let’s Eat or Girl Let’s _____” because I want the viewer to feel welcome. I like the viewer to know they’re about to get an authentic and natural reaction and should feel they’re about to talk to their home girl.
My 3rd anniversary of having a food blog is in August, and I will give a special treat to my audience and businesses. I will be reviewing restaurants for two weeks for no charge! Also, I will invite some of my followers to attend the reviews with me!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three skills that impacted my journey were consistency, authenticity, networking, and knowing your audience. Like most people, when you start something new, and you’re not getting the desired results, the first option is to quit. After numerous of those moments, I decided to buckle down and create a schedule of posting consistency, and I started to see growth.
At first, I thought I had to talk a certain for my videos to be successful, and I realized I was showing my true self. After adding a personal spin to my videos, I noticed people gravitate to my content more, and videos have become relatable. I built a relationship with my audience when people saw I wasn’t trying to be perfect and have fun. It also helps that I reply to comments and messages.
I started this journey alone and assumed I didn’t need outside help or to be friends with anybody else in the industry. Boy, was I wrong! I felt excluded from influencers in my area and was jealous I wasn’t a part of their outings or events. Then luckily, earlier this year, I became friends with an upcoming influencer who is now flourishing. Then I discovered other influencers with the same niche as me. We all created a group chat for influencers with similar backgrounds where we share tips, support, and any concerns we have with our industry. We all became family. Having a village with like-minded individuals was the missing piece I needed in my content journey.
The last tip I would suggest is to know your audience! When you first start your journey, you assume you will receive all the support from your friends and family. Sadly the support isn’t as strong as you thought it would be. Your content needs to cater to strangers. Those strangers are going to be people who bring you success. It might hurt initially, but knowing your content brings joy to people you have never met is the best feeling.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
My current challenge is living in the now. My mind is focused on making content 24/7. I can’t go anywhere and live in the moment. I always think where I’m at or doing would be great content. I want to learn to live my life and keep the camera down. Also, content is everywhere, sometimes, you have to take in the small moments you won’t get back,
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericaeatsamerica/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericaeatsamerica
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-bullard-0318/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8llUxx4o3iW_UkYE-gxyeA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=bo7jQ3QMP0KANCzBXc8jFw
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ericaeatsamerica?lang=en
Image Credits
Erica Bullard
