💎💎💎 My diamonds you have until tomorrow to watch the video recording of my chat with Sarah Cantin! 💎💎💎
Nostalgic content
There are 145 comments on
’s essay in about the scent of celery triggering holiday nostalgia. When the novelist posted about the house that inspired her bestselling novel Lilac Girls, dozens of readers commented with memories of places they’ll never forget. On BookTok, there is currently a trend to make a slideshow of your life as a reader.I’ve never really identified as a nostalgic person, but as the oldest millennials get, well, even older, I’m noticing hits of the ‘90s everywhere. Nostalgia is a risk-free narcotic. This week I got high on Kate Kennedy:
Are there some of you out there like me who are not bothered by [the new Meghan Markle show] whatsoever? Did you also have a copy of American Girls special edition book Jazz Up Your Jeans? Did you spend a lot of time making a yarn doll from Kirsten’s craft book and consider it a good Saturday?
What I remember specifically are the paper dolls, based on real-life girls, that came in American Girls magazine! (If I posted about those paper dolls on TikTok, I am 95% sure that the algorithm would show my video to one of the women who was turned into a paper doll in 1993.)
Now that I’ve finished my novel revision, several people have asked me if I have an idea for my next book yet. Do they know me at all? My next creative project is to plan the content strategy for launching this novel. I was recently having an existential crisis about TikTok because I couldn’t figure out what to post that would be relevant to the twenty-something audience for my new book, in the way that Betsy’s content reached that audience.
During my crisis, I finished reading
’s novel Monarch. This is the first sentence of the first chapter: “When I try to remember the late nineties, I mostly remember climbing into a tanning bed with a rabbit’s head sticker pressed to my hip.” I’m so high you guys! Monarch is about a child beauty pageant star and it conjured memories for me of my brief stint at Barbizon modeling school.
I hardly ever think or talk about Barbizon (I’d not mentioned it once to my husband, who I’ve been with for 14 years), but I posted a video to TikTok about Monarch that opened with the line: “This video is for survivors of Barbizon.” It’s been viewed 82,000 times and the comments are filled with women sharing memories of their experiences in modeling school.
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After my Barbizon video blew up, I realized I was overthinking my TikTok content. My novel is all about aging and I can create content on both Instagram and TikTok for aging millennials.1
While we’re on the subject of aging millennials and the internet (cue the sound of a dial-up modem), I’m announcing something new this week in collaboration with my friend ! To find out what the big surprise is, subscribe to Josh’s newsletter, which combines sharp cultural commentary, sociological insights, and smart book recs.
Do it yourself
Nostalgia is a form of escapism.
What could you post this week that would elicit a rush of nostalgia in your audience? What would make them feel seen and understood?
Is there something from your novel or your memoir that is at once an extremely specific detail and a portal to another time and place? Is there a sensory detail that will trigger your audience?
Still photo example. Another. Notes example. Example from a brand.
If you’re making video content, you could try opening with the hook “does anyone else remember…” Or address your audience directly, the way I did, by saying “This video is for survivors of _____.”
To drive engagement in the comments section of a video or a Substack post, you can think of a call-to-action like a simple writing prompt. Offer your audience something they can easily respond to.
Upcoming Events
You can meet me in person in NYC on March 20th at an event with
and novelist Julius Taranto, about writing satire at a time when reality is already surreal. Whether you’re a fan of Self Care or you want me to remember you fondly in the future when you ask me to do you a favor, I hope you can join us. Use the code selfcare to save $5 off your ticket.My next Chat Room conversation will be with Kayla Lightner at Ayesha Pande Literary on March 28th at 1pm EST. Kayla recently sold Substacker Mikala Johnson’s book (part memoir, part self-help) and I’m going to be asking her about what she looks for when scouting clients on the internet.
I have other plans for how I’ll reach twenty-something readers on TikTok.
Thanks for including my piece, Leigh!
The way this sub-five-foot rural NH native secretly fantasized about barbizon…