Infuse Issue 8 June 2019 | Page 30

You’re currently finishing your final
year as a dietetic student at Missouri
State University, where you’re 1 of only
3 males in your year. What drove your
decision to return to university after a
career in construction management?
You have a huge online following
with >72K Instagram followers, >908K
followers on Facebook and almost 200
million YouTube views. What are your top
tips for staying relevant?
1. Think like your audience:
I’ve always been curious about nutrition
and fitness but participating in body
transformation contests really spurred
my career change. After finishing my
first body transformation challenge,
I felt terrible. I was training too
much, not eating enough and relying
on supplements. Two years later, I
participated in another transformation
challenge and was much smarter about
my approach. I finished the second
contest in better shape both physically
and mentally.
Think from the perspective of the
people you want to attract to your page.
What do they want to see? Don’t lose
yourself just trying to gain followers,
but don’t just post what you want either.
Find some common ground.
2. Play the long game:
Don’t expect results overnight. It’s taken
time to build up our channels. I started
back in 2010 and have never taken
a break or long hiatus. I lived in my
parent’s basement from 2013 to 2016
while I was working on foodchallenges.
com. I started my YouTube channel back
in 2010 and didn’t make money until
2015. If you really want to build a big
presence, know that all great things
take time and genuine effort.
In 2015, I went all-in on a career
change. I started looking into nutrition
certifications and learned that anything
less than a registered dietitian
nutritionist (RDN) wouldn’t be taken
seriously.
"Once I am a dietitian,
I’ll be working on
providing my community
with ultra-simplified
nutrition tips and keeping
people out of hospitals."
© Dietitian Connection
30
3. Be consistent:
My followers know that I post videos
every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
at 3:30 pm CST. We have always been
consistent with that. If you take long
breaks, just know that some of your
followers will lose interest and stop
following you. Plan your attack before
you start and fully commit to building
your social media.
Infuse | June 2019