Wine Influencer: @sommvivant - Amanda McCrossin

XChateau is a podcast about all things wine, from vine to your glass. We tackle the business of wine and keep you up to date with new and exciting developments so you always know what goes into your bottle.In this episode, Robert Vernick and Peter Yeung interview Amanda McCrossin (Instagram/YouTube: @sommvivant; former Sommelier at Press Napa Valley) about creating content on social media and telling the stories behind the wines. Robert and Peter discuss how Amanda works with wine brands on telling their story, her theatre background, and best practices for wine influencers and for brands to interact with them. Other topics covered in this episode include:Background in theatre, film, & TV - has always loved being on screenRestaurants got her into wine, wine education helped her get sommelier jobsFormer Sommelier and Wine Director at Press Napa Valley - a “life-changing” decisionThe lack of discussion of the history of Napa Valley was the inspiration to start her social media channels (e.g. - a vlog to track wineries in Napa to visit, creating an access point for people to learn about wine)Finding community on social - often through DMsFollower demographics:YouTube (~6k followers) - heavy male (65%+), 30-60 years oldIG (~24k followers) - heavy female, ~25-50 years oldMales seem to enjoy longer form contentVery diverse group: trade, consumers, aspirational collectors, momsGlobal audience: US big, then South AmericaCOVID pandemic has increased viewershipContent monetization - 70% non-paid, 30% paidYouTube content often more for brand awarenessTailoring content for the audienceAs an influencer, need to be steadfast in beliefsListen to the audience - DM’s, engagement -> more than numbersAdvice for brands & influencersPR agencies can helpAs a brand, you get what you pay forBrands need to do due diligence to see how it will reflect on the brand (e.g. - dig into comments)Prefers to work on a long-term basis: more like a brand ambassador modelTypes of content: posts, IG Live, YouTube videos, webinars, speaking engagements; very little on FacebookBelieves the stigma around paid content is untrueFeedback from brandsMostly positiveOne winery -> says they get 20-30 signups per postBuilding a following - “don’t take the easy way”Build organicallyRespond to comments, engage with others, follow othersKevin Kelly - the “1,000 true fans” essay - about finding your tribeIf you loved this episode, we would love for you to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.