We have this idea in our heads that PR has a formula, that social media success has happened before and must occur in the same way every time. In case you’re still believing that lie, it’s false.
We think that it requires years of experience in the profession to earn a decent salary, to get the job you want.
Again, false.
Granted, it requires a lot of hard work, but we have eighteen-year-old Bethany Mota to prove that entrepreneurship isn’t about a degree—though that certainly helps to get into the working world—but about effective use of resources.
This self-made PR professional is a prodigy of sorts in the entertainment industry. Sans business background, public relations training, fashion merchandising connections, and basically all else, Bethany Mota began her YouTube channel as a 14-year-old in 2009, which went viral by 2013.
“Viral” meaning that her most popular video has over 7 million views.
Over 7 million.
From a home-schooled, 18-year-old, high-school graduate.
Bethany also launched her own clothing line at Aéropostale this past December. Talk about a charmed life.
Or is it something more than “charm”?
No doubt about it, Bethany Mota is a PR genius. What’s her secret?
Those of us who have been in college for a few years and have received extensive training (yet still aren’t millionaires…hmmm…) can only speculate. But here are a few things Bethany has clearly done right.
- Knows her niche. Whether she intended it or not, Bethany has a distinct brand. She doesn’t waffle about her online or offline identity. In fact, she created her own brand—she’s that confident in who she is and what she promotes.
- Generates consumer-driven content. Bethany’s vlogs aren’t just for her own personal enjoyment—though she clearly loves her work. She uses her videos to send an audience-oriented message. It’s not about promoting herself, but about thinking of her viewers first. Bethany’s main message and the goal of her vlogs was to boost adolescent girls’ self-confidence and self-esteem, and then equip them with tools to help them feel good about themselves.
- Creates wide-reaching internet presence. Bethany didn’t stop with her YouTube channel. She built a strong social media presence, including her Facebook fan page, a second YouTube channel, Twitter handle, Instagram, Tumblr, Google+…she’s everywhere. And all of those outlets are true to her self-defined brand.
By: Jordan Blackbird
Jordan is a senior interpersonal communication and English double-major, with a concentration in professional writing and a minor in interactive media. She is interning in the Office of Technology Development at Penn State Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA, LGB Properties: The Market at Liberty Place in Kennett Square, PA, and College Social Magazine: National Edition this Spring, and will begin work as a technical writer with Lockheed Martin this June. Contact her with questions, connections, or suggestions at jblack@udel.edu.
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