MY PROPOSAL
COVER LETTER
Hi Heather -
You may not remember me from late 2020, but I'm Gigi.
We spoke about how I would be able to help with the promotion of Pushkin's podcasts.
I must admit, ever since I discovered that Malcolm had a squad in 2020, I've been telling everyone I know about your lineup. Especially, 'The Happiness Lab' & 'Solvable'.
I believe that you are having well thought out conversations that go beyond the headlines, that a lot of your ideas are actionable, and you're presenting it in a palatable and entertaining way.
And it's because of this, that I was compelled to apply to this position within Pushkin. You are doing excellent work, and I would like to help your messages travel farther.
Not necessarily to convert people into customers (I don't believe that this is your goal), but to create that trusted fan base that wants to hear your content, and say, "This is why I come to Pushkin. This is what drives me to think deeply. These are the stories that I need to hear".
So the conversion wouldn't be measured in regards to sales, but the rate of adoption of your mission statement - to welcome "intellectual openness, respect, fairness, and ethical behavior" and to work hand-in-hand with artists & creators who want to create work they care about & believe in.
Until I speak with you further, I would not know how you're looking to scale, per se, but as all podcasters want - you want to help & inform as many people as possible.
And I would like to help amplify your efforts as your Creative Director.
Though first, let me show you some of the redesigns & changes I've made to some of your current assets, and my reasoning behind them. Of course until I talk to you, these are from the top of my head. So strap into your floaties, and let's jump into it.
THE REMIX
'against the rules' redesign
The Original Design:
In the job description for Creative Director, you said that you were looking for someone to "create intriguing cover art and designs for [your] podcasts and audiobooks".
Out of all the podcast cover art I looked at on your website, "Against the Rules with Michael Lewis" needed the most assistance. #noshade
Below is a collection of mockups with various color palettes that immediately catch the eye & stand out - which in this "attention economy" is important.
Even the 'Pushkin' logo, that you put on all of your images, stands out just enough - so it pulls the eye down.
TAKE TWO
'talking to strangers' redesign
In your CD description, you said that you were looking for someone that would make sure that the Pushkin branding is, "memorable, innovative and generally awesome".
Well, I would want to ask you, "What does that look like to you?", so we could align your vision with my...um, fearless use of color, type, & design.
I know, historically, Malcolm's book covers have been simple & minimalist.
Though, I thought I'd attempt a more bold approach.
The Original Design:
VIDEO STILL RULES
PROMOTING THE PODCASTS
As you may remember Heather, this is my sweetspot.
Here's the top of the funnel plan:
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Take every episode, of each podcast, and pull out the "golden goose" egg highlights - and turn them into stand alone pieces that can be published across social media platforms.
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Those highlights will be posted as a carousel: A cover + an audiogram (see examples below) OR that cover and audiogram will be combined to be a video with transitions.
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Certain highlights can also be transformed into a slidedeck and/or an infographic
All of this, to lead people back to the website to listen to the full version of the podcast.
Why lead people back to the website?
Purely for the analytics and to see how people move across the website.
What is the user experience? Is there a high bounce rate? How are we capturing their email address (this is important)? Where is the highest volume of traffic coming from?
And so on.
Optional: Add behind-the-scenes video of the hosts interviewing or recording their podcast. Again, pulling out those "golden goose egg" highlights, and posting them on YouTube making the podcast more easily searchable, and using the strength (and attention) of YouTube & Google's SEO to get found.
Your Current Instagram Posts:
What I Would Post as a Carousel on Instagram:
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MY CAREER SOULMATE
let's do a quick rundown
I looked over the bells & whistles you want in a candidate, and said to myself:
“I can do that...yup...I did that last week...okay, let’s throw my name into the mix"!
So let's do a quick rundown of why I think this.
Own Pushkin’s creative
direction and execution of our visual brand
I very much look forward to talking to you about how you would like to see your brand represented.
And having those discovery meetings where we discuss everything from - the stylescape to the website copy, so your audience knows what to expect when they peruse the digital landscape.
An organizational wizard who
is able to work on multiple projects simultaneously
If I get invited to the ball (an interview) I WILL ask you such questions like:
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What project management systems do you use? Asana, Monday.com?...
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How do you communicate with your team remotely? I assume Slack, but please correct me if otherwise.
I'm a big fan of controlled chaos. And I do it well.
Develop unique, compelling campaigns to build awareness of Pushkin
I know this to be true, “All assets aren’t built to produce the same results. Some are meant to build brand, some are meant to increase sales, some are meant to go “viral”, and so on. But no matter what - be honest with people. Talk to them like a human refraining from “corporate speak”. And they’ll love you for it".
As you can tell - I’m wild, crazy, passionate about strategy, storytelling through variations of video & design, managing the creative machine through structure & process, and rallying a team to bring a vision into reality.
So, when you look over my resume (and raise an eyebrow of intrigue) I’d love to chat with you more about how my skills will be able to help Pushkin.
I mean, that’s what I’m here for.
Whether we chat via Zoom, Google Hangouts, carrier pigeons, or smoke signals - let me know what works for you - and we’ll coordinate from there.