What you can learn from Nap Dress creator Nell Diamond on building authentic community
+how to get the TikTok algorithm to work in your favor and why incorporating post-mortems into your work is essential
quick summary ⚡️
Three community building methods that you can take from Hill House Home CEO and Nap Dress creator, Nell Diamond
How creators who want to gain relevance in a certain niche or cultural conversation can train their algorithms
The growing trend of “digital detoxing,” the ‘Medical Moms’ who are posting their kids’ illnesses to millions and more in the cultural moments and news that caught our attention this week
Why post-mortems are essential to any strong digital strategy
how Nell Diamond leaned into authenticity to build Hill House Home
Kait Richmond is a writer, producer and contributor to the M.T. Deco Blog.
When we say authenticity is the key to building a community, we mean it - it’s not just good for your follower numbers, it’s good for business. There are few people who demonstrate that better than Nell Diamond, the founder and CEO of Hill House Home.
You’re probably familiar with Nell and HHH for the Nap Dress, a true day-to-night dress that went viral during the pandemic when all of us didn’t want to get dressed up just to sit in our homes, but were dying to wear something other than sweats. That took Nell’s brand from niche to mainstream, and elevated her own profile from NYC socialite attending charity galas to savvy businesswoman talking about the supply chain on CNBC.
Let’s be clear: Nell is rich. “Inescapably rich,” as The Cut put it in a profile last year. AKA, a lot of privilege helped get her to where she is today. Her father Bob Diamond is a well known banker who was forced to resign as Barclays’ CEO in 2012 in the wake of a scandal, and today runs a private equity firm.
Nell could easily be a full-time influencer whose social media following is looking for wish fulfillment over relatability. But she’s making a name for herself with HHH, which she launched in 2016 as a direct-to-consumer bedding company that sought to channel the “cottagecore” trend - a direct line to Nell’s personal style, which can only be described as a modernized version of the costumes from Netflix’s “Bridgerton.” Think puffy sleeves, statement headpieces and absolutely no pants.
She does work to cultivate the audience she has, and brought them in on HHH from the earliest days, taking their feedback in comments and DMs, and using that to inform business decisions. That has transformed the brand fans into empowered customers who feel a desire to see it succeed. They call themselves #NapDressNation and have gathered online, not just in the comments of Nell and HHH’s accounts but in Facebook groups with thousands of members where they re-sell to each other, offer styling tips and occasionally talk about Nell.
There’s no question that this is all by design, but Nell and her team probably couldn’t have predicted the virality of the Nap Dress. What’s notable is how they’ve adapted, and used Nell’s social media audience since. They know what so many founders know - no one is better equipped to speak passionately about the brand than the person who started it all.
It works especially well for Nell because she is, as she puts it, “very online.”
Clearly, there’s a ton of inspiration to be taken from Nell’s approach, especially for founders who want to be the spokesperson of their brand. The big lesson is that Nell is almost over-committed to being herself - you don’t have to scroll far back to clearly understand her point of view. Here are a few additional tips that she employs to not only be herself, but pump out authentic content on a consistent basis:
Mix business and pleasure: If Nell’s social media feed was all HHH all the time, it would be incredibly boring. A look at her Instagram grid posts so far in 2023 show that more than half of her posts are about the business, so she regularly mixes in a lot of her family life.
Avoid boxing yourself in: Because at least some of the success of HHH depends on her own brand, Nell can’t just limit herself to the Nap Dress. So many of her Instagram and TikTok posts showcase her style, which is heavy HHH but elegantly builds in other brands (often designer).
Don’t overthink it: Nell’s sweet spot is definitely Instagram, but she has an impressive 23.7K followers on TikTok where she is, frankly, doing the bare minimum. Her posts there are almost entirely fit checks and sound trends that are low-lift and can be added to even the busiest days.
for more on Nell Diamond and the tactics you can learn from her, head to the MTD blog
how you can “train” your TikTok algorithm
HOT TIP: If you’re a creator looking to gain relevance in a certain niche or cultural conversation, you’ve got to “train your algorithm” by engaging with the right content →
We present a micro case study that took all of 25-30min over 2.5 days. Megan Collins took to TikTok and jumped on the Scandoval trend as part of her research on deep diving into specific niche interests by “training” algorithms.
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She strategically engaged with content that would encourage the algorithm to continue surfacing content around Scandoval, aka watching, liking, sharing a ton of content. Her FYP is now filled with content around Vanderpump Rules and Scandoval, further priming her to connect more directly with these audiences if / when she wants to continue publishing content about VPR and Scandoval.
Which makes us wonder– is what you engage with perhaps MORE important than what you publish? 🧐 Let us know what you think in the comments
more gaming social media algorithms here
💎cultural gems💎
The cultural moments and news that caught our attention this week:
Depth vs. Width. Josh Rangel, Senior Social Media Strategist at Golin, explains why going deep and mastering 2 social platforms is better than being mediocre on 5.
Should you really post your “digital detox”? “Unplugging is almost an aesthetic at this point, filled with natural light and self-care. There is a desire to take breaks from phones, but it’s very challenging to do when their entire ecosystem is so digital.” - Sarah Unger,
To read up on the growing deinfluencing trend, check out our breakdown here
‘Medical Moms’ share their kids’ illnesses with millions. At what cost? Moms are documenting their children’s chronic illnesses on TikTok with the intention of “raising awareness.”
For the best practices on how to safely post about your kids online, head to the MTD blog
The Titanic Truthers of TikTok. In the wake of the Titan submersible tragedy, TikTok is being swarmed with “Titanic Truthers” spreading misinformation about the shipwreck.
Let kids get bored. It’s good for them. “Dr. Westgate believes that in moderate doses, boredom can offer a valuable learning opportunity, spurring creativity and problem solving and motivating children to seek out activities that feel meaningful to them.”
tools
You’re crushing your digital strategy… but are you taking the right steps to analyze your work?
A post-mortem is *necessary* to every digital strategy because it answers questions like:
✔️ Did your project succeed or fall short?
✔️ Did it meet your business goals?
✔️ Did you make money, drive sales, onboard subscribers, drive traffic, grow followers?
✔️ In the execution, what do you think worked best in hitting that goal, and what didn’t?
Ideally, a post-mortem is a counterpoint to a project brief, which is a plan laid out ahead of a project that defines what you’re trying to accomplish [download our MTD brief template here].
for more on how to incorporate post-mortems into your own digital strategy, head to the MTD blog
what’s old is new again…
Despite being around for nearly 20 years, YouTube continues to grow and remains the gold standard when it comes to making money as a creator.
Additionally, as a subsidiary of Google, the platform is highly searchable and with a little SEO optimization promises to connect your content to the audience searching for it (if titled and tagged correctly.) Furthermore, the platform is a fantastic place to reach Gen Z, 77% of Gen Zers, ages 15 to 25, watch YouTube.
if you’re YouTube-curious, but not sure if it’s the right fit for you, head here
inspo
p.s. it’s ok to rest sometimes 🤍
check out Steal Like an Artist from Austin Kleon here