#119 Techie Dani : Becoming a Tech Influencer for Top Brands

Ever wonder what it would be like to be a Tech Influencer? Tune in to be inspired by the incredible journey of Danielle Hern, better known as @TechieDani, who sheds light on her transition from her corporate 9-5 role at Intel to becoming a full-time content creator who has flexibility and full creative license in her life now.  As a tech influencer with over half a million followers, Dani reveals the catalyst for discovering her passion for smart home technology content. Her story shows how passion, authenticity and the knack for making complex tech accessible can turn a simple creative outlet into a flourishing career.

Join us as we get an insider's view of the often-unseen world of content creation. Dani shares the nitty-gritty of producing tech content, from product testing to the art of scripting engaging videos. Balancing her role as a part-time stay-at-home parent, she discusses the challenges of growing a personal brand and the potential for expanding her team. Despite the hurdles, Dani expresses gratitude for the flexibility and unique opportunities the creator life offers, especially when it comes to family time.

Explore the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing, especially within the tech industry. Dani dives into her experiences with major tech brands, emphasizing the importance of maintaining audience trust while navigating brand collaborations. The conversation also touches on the emotional aspects of content creation and setting boundaries to ensure mental well-being. Dani's insights into leveraging personal uniqueness and the supportive nature of the content creator community offer invaluable takeaways for aspiring creators.

Resources: 

·       Dani on TikTok

·       Dani on Instagram

·       Dani on YouTube

·       Dani on X

·       Dani on Facebook

·       Shop Dani’s Recommended Products

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Danielle Hern's Career Tips for Women Transcript


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Transcript

Mary Killelea (Host): Hi there. My name is Mary Killa-Olea. Welcome to the 2B Bolder podcast, providing career insights for the next generation of women in business and tech. 2B Bolder was created out of my love for technology and marketing, my desire to bring together like-minded women, and my hope to be a great role model and source of inspiration for my two girls and other young women like you. Encouraging you guys to show up and to be bolder and to know that anything you guys dream of, it's totally possible. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.

Hi there. Today's guest is a thriving tech influencer. Dani, also known as Techie Dani, is a tech and car content creator with over a half a million fans across social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, to name just a few. She loves innovation and getting her hands on the latest tech products to create educational and engaging content for her audience. She is an expert on smart home devices and automations and is a huge electric vehicle enthusiast.

Before becoming a creator, Dani worked at Intel Corporation in various marketing and sales roles, specializing in cloud technology, AI, and consumer semiconductor and laptops. Dani, it is amazing. I'm so excited to have you here. You're one of my first influencers and you're a woman in tech influencers. So, thanks for being on the show.

Danielle Hern (Guest): Yes. Oh, thanks for having me. I'm very honored to be here. Thank you.

Mary Killelea: Okay. So it's crazy and so impressive how you've become such a hugely successful tech influencer. Tell us what inspired you to start creating tech and car related content.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, that's a great question. So I am what we like to say in the industry, I'm a COVID creator. So that means I got my start in 2020. A lot of us downloaded new or already used apps to TikTok was becoming big and growing beyond just from young kids dancing to a place to post interesting educational content.

And I started creating on a whim just as a creative outlet, working my corporate job in marketing, you know, the bureaucracy of corporate, you can't always be as creative as you want to be. And I love my job. And there's nothing wrong there. But I just kind of felt like there was something missing. And so, you know, sitting at home being bored, I started documenting various projects. I actually started in kind of more like the home space. So, a lot of people don't know that. But I started in interior design home DIY projects. We had just bought our first home. And we had a lot of fun things that we were working on. I started documenting it, people were really liking it.

So I leaned into that for a while. And then having a tech background working at Intel and being married to a techie person as well, our dream had always been to like have a smart home. And so I was like, “Okay, like, let's start the smart home stuff”. And so I made a video turning my home into a smart home part one. And that like, kicked off everything really for me, in content and definitely in tech. So I ended up doing like, I don't even know how many parts that were like 50 plus, and just started getting the latest and greatest and installing it and showing the process and either like doing tutorials or just explaining like how it helped make my life better or more simple, or more streamlined. And I think it really resonated with everyone because we were all stuck at home looking around going like, “Okay, how do I make this space better”? And the smart home stuff was like really on the rise in 2020.

That kind of like opened up that whole niche. And then I just narrowed down into tech ever since then. And depending on what I'm into at the time, it's like ebbed and flowed with like consumer tech to smart home. And now like EVs is anything I'm really getting into. So yes, it was a happy accident, but then I put a lot of hard work into and turned it into a career.

Mary Killelea: Well, what I love about your content is, one, you're so authentic, and you come across genuinely loving the tech that you're installing. And you break it down in simple terms for non-techie people, which I think is fantastic. And from my point of view, like some of those home devices, I'm intimidated by them, but I've watched your videos where I'm like, “Okay, I can do this”.

Danielle Hern: Yeah!

Mary Killelea: At what point did you realize being a content creator could be like your new full time career and you walked away from corporate?

Danielle Hern: Um, I officially walked away about a year a little over a year ago. I think I realized it could be a full time gig, like two years in the brand deals really started coming in and started, you know, making close to my corporate job money, but I wasn't quite ready to let up, let go of my corporate job, because I really liked it. As you know, we worked together, and I really liked what I was doing. And it is scary, like doing something all on your own. I was doing it part time. Like I always said, like, I have two full time jobs, like it's one is like forced to be part time because I have a full time job, but like the amount of work that I did, like nights and weekends, pretty much every single night, every single weekend. And it was like grind, you know, and we didn't have kids. So why not just pour yourself into it? You know, this is the time to do it. I'm hoping that, you know, it could be a full time thing when I was ready to do that.

And then with the birth of my son, I kind of like reevaluated my life. And I was like, I can't have three jobs. Like I can't be a mom and like a corporate boss and an entrepreneur/influencer. So I was like, I'm going to take a risk on myself. And like this allows me to have more flexibility with my family and I'm going to, I'm going to do that. So yeah.

Mary Killelea: I love that you bet on yourself. Um, I try to encourage more women to do that. Uh, tell me what's one misconception that you think people have about influencers that you could set us all straight on.

Danielle Hern: Yeah. I was thinking about this earlier. Uh, I feel like there's a lot and I think it always depends on like the type of influencer and the content you're making. But in general, I think because so many influencers are so good at their job, they make their job look really simple and easy. And there's just a lot that goes on behind the scenes for every piece of content, no matter how short or quick it seems. Once it's all edited down and you post it, it's 45 seconds and 60 seconds. Like, well, how much work could that really be? Like she just filmed that on a Tuesday afternoon, on her lunch break. But not really.

There's a lot more, like you have to concept, you have to script, you have to film, you have to edit. Um, and you know, a lot goes into concepting. Like that's a lot of the work is like coming up with that creative idea and like feeling I'm figuring out how to position it so that I will get, views and people will like it. And I think, you know, a lot of, you know, I'm sure there are like a lot of influencers out there, like more of the lifestyle bloggers who just kind of like pick up the camera and talk and like post and it's quick and easy and not a lot of maybe thought goes into it. But in my space and everyone I know, it's a very different animal.

You have to get to know the product. You have to like learn it. You have to try it. You have to, you know, script what you're saying or at least have a pretty good idea of what you want to say. And yeah, it's just like every little video that you make is like multiple days of work. At least for me and in my space and I don't know, but we make it look easy. And I think that sign of like success, like you make it look easy, but there's actually a lot that goes. And then there's housekeeping. I mean, you're running a business, you're communicating with brands, like you're keeping on top of your invoicing, like you get a lot of inquiries that go nowhere. So, you know, like any business, there's a lot that goes in behind the scenes and it's a great job. And I think all of us, um, creators are, are in a place of privilege of like, this is such a cool job that we have, and we're so grateful for it. Um, but at the same time, it's a full on business, like more than you would think.

Mary Killelea: So what does an average day look like? Yeah, that's a good question. I mean, every day for me is different. I'm not like super crazy structured with my weeks. Like I know some friends who like, they film on some days, they edit on some days, or they podcast. I'm a little bit more fluid. I take a look at my week, like, you know, on a Sunday and kind of like plan it out based on what I have going on. Some days I, you know, I get ready and I film and I just film as much content as I can. And then the other days I'll edit. A lot of times like Mondays are kind of like housekeeping. At least half of the day is like catching up on emails or getting things over to brands that need it. Like if I have a lot of brand deals going on, those always take priority. They have deadlines. It's like any other job has deadlines. So those take priority over like the organic fun stuff that I get to do the other days of the week.

Usually, it's usually it's filming or just my headphones on and I'm literally just cranking away at edits on my computer all day. And because I have a toddler, I structure my time. I work three days a week and I get to be with him two days a week. So, I get to have like a little bit of stay at home mom life. Like obviously, you know, I'm so working. I'm being with my kid, but it feels like a day off because it's like, you do fun stuff, go to the library, go to the park. And I love that. Like, I love that I get to be like around a little bit more. But then it also forces me to focus because I have help on the other three days. And like those are the days like I got to get stuff done because the next day I'm with my kid and I can work during nap time, but that's pretty much it.

Mary Killelea: Right, right. So speaking of like filming, do you have a team that helps you? I mean, I know in the beginning you're doing everything on your own, but now that you've grown, do you have a team or do you look to build a team? And then even how would you go about that?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, that is like the question for content creators is like, when do you do that? Do you do that? Who do you find that you like that you trust? Because content is so personal to the creator and it's so creative. Like there's no other way of saying it. And it's hard to give it up because you have a certain editing style, you have a certain way that you go about it. And so I don't have a team. We're lean and mean over here. We do it all ourselves.

I could, I mean, I like thought about it and I've had friends convince me both ways. Like you need, you should get an editor or you shouldn't get an editor. And it's just, it's scary. I think it's hard to figure out how to like pass something off. That's so much a part of your personal brand. And I just keep going back to like all of the like training that I would have to do and like the writing up of how I want a video edited. Like I could edit it by the time I like put all that on a piece of paper and send it to an editor. So that's what stops me from personally doing it. But I've seen it done like both ways.

A lot of creators have at least an editor and like a management firm that like helps them broker brand deals. Those are kind of like the two big ways that people bring in help. And then when you get to like a really big like iJustine level, like you probably have like even more like a filming team behind you as well. But so far, no, we've just been, my husband helps me a lot, but the two of us, we do everything pretty much on our own.

Mary Killelea: I love that lean and mean. I love it.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, it is. It's like a startup. I mean, it's, I've been creating since 2020, but only full time for like a year, year and a half. So yeah, we're still very much in like, it's kind of like the beginner stages. Like a lot of creators have been around, been on YouTube for like 10 years. I'm still kind of new. And we're kind of like at the point of like, we're doing okay now, like we're managing our time well, we still have family time. We're still getting a lot of stuff done when that changes and we can't keep up with the demand or, you know, we feel like we're sacrificing on family time because we're working too much, then it's like, okay, time to bring someone else in. But until then, we're trying to keep it in house as much as possible because, you know, it's expensive to like be paying, having someone on the payroll for sure.

Mary Killelea: Yeah, no, absolutely. That's a whole different level of worry and hassle. So I know you're on multiple channels across, social media. Do you have primary channels and kind of what was your thought behind picking those channels? And then do you like repurpose, you know, content for those other channels that maybe aren't your primary?

Danielle Hern: Exactly. I call myself a short form creator. So, we, you know, vertical style, like what you see on Instagram reels and TikTok. TikTok really made that a thing. And that obviously became a really big part of the creator economy. It used to be all about YouTube, all about long form, horizontal, you make money through ads. And not that that's not still there. But there's a lot of kind of newer up and coming creators who don't even touch long form. We just do short form. And we love that. That's our thing.

I've branched into long form. I when I'm really excited about a topic, and I think it's like big enough, and I can make a long enough video. I try to film like a YouTube video like maybe once a month or something. And that's like a new muscle I actually just started stretching like this year. So I do do that. But the most of my bread and butter is short form. And it because I got my start on TikTok, and I grew my audience there first, like that's my biggest and main platform.

And then luckily, when Instagram introduced the Reels feature, like a year and a half ago, or so whenever they did, that really changed the game for Instagram. I used to post on Instagram, and like nothing would really get views. And it just never really went anywhere. It was very photo based. And then when they introduced the like the new reels and similar algorithm and content discovery way that TikTok does, it really opened that up for creators.

So I've been growing a lot on Instagram, specifically this year, which has been exciting, because it's really great to be diverse, like it's good not to have all your eyes in one basket, right? We don't control these platforms, we don't know what they're gonna do, or if they're gonna go away.

I tell everyone, like, make the content, you've done the hard work to make the content, post it literally everywhere. Like, I used to not do that, I used to be like a lazy about it. And then I was like, “No, this is dumb”. Like, you just got to go on Instagram, post it, go on YouTube shorts and post it. I post not everything, but I post some stuff on X, like they're trying to do more video to and they're paying creators really well now. And Facebook, you know, all of the places. So pretty much I use all the platforms. And it's so funny, it's like a piece of content will do really well on one platform and like mediocre on the other or vice versa. And sometimes it will, you know, be universally appealing, it will do well everywhere. But that's kind of few and far in between. It's like just every platform has like a different little different audience, expecting a little bit different things, little different algorithms. And I think of it thinking of it as you're giving yourself like, five X opportunities to go viral or to get views. It's like, you just never know what's going to happen. And you know, you can't control it, but you might as well repost it everywhere.

Mary Killelea: Well, and that's so interesting, that one single video could have so many different reactions. And I know that to be true with just my campaign management, but that's a full time job just analyzing all that.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, it can be if you really get into if you go all Mr. Beast and you just go crazy. And the analytics.

Mary Killelea: Tell me what your process is for testing and reviewing tech products.

DH: Yeah, so it kind of depends on the product and how complex it is. But in general, you know, I get it in, in the studio, and we just use it, I mean, set it up, install it, and just use it in everyday life, try to get to know it, usually up to a week. It depends on like, if it's like something like a computer or something, or an iPad, I'll use it longer. If it's something like, like a home product, like a vacuum robot, I can pretty quickly tell after a couple cycles, like, do I like it or not, because I have a lot of experience with them. So it just depends how many times and how much like testing I have to put it through.

I don't usually have like very formal tests, it's more of like, I'm using it. And like, what do I genuinely think? Like, is it doing what it's supposed to be doing? Yes or no? And how does it compare to other things I've used? Because usually, I've tried something in that space, once or twice before. And I have a pretty good idea going into it. And then of course, like, you know, if it's something I'm purchasing to review that I've already done the research upfront about it, and I know how it stands out from its competitors, and it's just a matter of “well, can it do what the marketing says it can do”? And then, you know, we get clips while we test it. And then when I've kind of given enough time that I feel like I have formulated an opinion, then we put together a video.

Mary Killelea: That's great. So you mentioned studio, do you have a home studio that you created?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, yeah, I'm sitting in it. It's my office. I have like two monitors and my whole laptop set up here. My husband's desk is behind us. And then I have like a mic with a like a kind of like a little soundproof booth that I do voiceovers in to reduce echo. And we have studio lights, they come in and out. Honestly they just move around the house because I do a lot of shooting in the house. Like I don't do my style is not as much like sit down and talk to the mic. It's more like a YouTuber. It's more get clips of the products in real life, either me with them, or honestly, me just filming it. And then I go on later and do the voiceover, do scripting and the voiceover on top. And then if not, then I'm, you know, it depends, like with cars and stuff, I'm like out there, like I have my little mics, I'm out there with the car. But if it's more of like a smart home device or, you know, consumer tech product, then it's a little bit more like b-roll with voiceover on top.

Mary Killelea: Okay, so a couple of products that you reviewed that I was looking through all your stuff the other day. I love the home blinds that come down.

Danielle Hern: Yes, you made it so good. So easy to put in.

Mary Killelea: That was really cool. I was thinking maybe I could do that in my house.

Danielle Hern: You can, you can!

Mary Killelea: The other thing that the other thing I thought that was really cool was the Tesla truck where you are like real life “Let's see if we can fit two bikes in the back of this car”. You were climbing up the back of that truck. I think your husband might have been filming you. But it was like, yeah, smart, because that's what the home buyer wants to know. I mean, that they take their bikes and go on a ride. And that makes it unique, I think from a selling feature that I'm kind of guessing Tesla probably would have never thought of.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, yeah. No, they like my stuff. Because yeah, I kind of do like just different. I don't know, I feel like a lot of tech people just like nerd out on the features and the speeds and the needs and kind of just go into that. And we always like to kind of approach like... That's important, too, for a general overview, like review of something for sure you need all that. But it's also like, I don't know, it's more fun to like throw bikes in the back or put a blow up mattress and see if you can sleep in your Tesla. Like we're just trying to push the envelope. Like there's plenty of people out there who do tech reviews. So it's like, “how do you stand out”? And like, that's something, you know, unique, you're getting unique products and trying them out, like going to a show like CES and getting hands on with, like wacky stuff, like you don't run across every day, like that's what people want to see.

Or taking something that everyone has, and not everyone has a Tesla, but a lot of people do have electric cars now. And what are some big questions people have about it? Let's answer those. Or, you know, just unique, like, okay, this is supposed to be a truck. It should be pretty practical. Let's see if it is.

Mary Killelea: I love that. And I also, prior to us recording, I was talking about how I love how you're a mom, and you embrace that and built that into, you know, your story and your use of these products, which I think makes you stand out so much.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I think it's also a kind of a unique angle of like, there's not as many women tech influencers, we were talking about this before we started recording and definitely sets me out. And then I think another layer on top of that is there's not as many mom, like, you know, new young mom tech influencer creators, but that's such a big part of the world and the people on Instagram. On my Instagram, like, my personal feed, it's like all like mom stuff, like toddler hacks and blogs. And you know, I just had a video today, it was like the best stocking stuffers for your toddler. And I'm like, Oh, I need to be thinking about that. That's a good idea.

So trying to like, take that kind of approach, but do always keep it techie. Like, I don't want to stray too far from my niche, I love my niche, but put a tech spin on it. Like, how, how can your car make, you know, your busy life as a mom, like a little bit easier? Or, you know, what is a good mom car? Like, can you put three car seats in the back? Does it have the brackets for it or not? Going more that angle, because it's a big part of my life. And it seems like there's kind of a gap of that in the industry. So just trying to try to fill that.

Mary Killelea: I love that. And you are very good at tech. And you've been good at tech marketing. You know, when you were at Intel. Before you worked at Intel, what was your like tech background?

Danielle Hern: No, I came straight from college to Intel.

Mary Killelea: Did you really?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, well, intern for two years during college at Intel. I think other than just always having a natural inclination, my dad was always techie. And so we just always like had the latest tech in the house. And he was into home theater. And I remember he got like a Mac when Mac was first coming out. I thought that was so cool. And the new iPhone and just kind of having that influence. He's just like the guy on CNET, like we're watching like 100 YouTube videos before he buys anything. So I think kind of like having that in my background.

And I'm not an engineer. I didn't go to engineering school. I got a marketing business degree, ended up at Intel. And then, you know, one of the things I think that made kind of like, you can see it in my content, you said it earlier is how I can break something down for the everyday audience. Like I had to learn that by working at Intel, because I'm like, fresh college grad thrown into the data center role being like, okay, cool, like go make some slides about, you know, networking and the cloud that was just coming out. And, you know, I had to learn all the tech and then also figure out how to distill it and like make it accessible to the buyer and the audience and the business audience. And I mean, you're very familiar with this, like, how do you make data center sexy? Like, it's hard.

And so I think I kind of have taken that skill set that like Intel is I'm so grateful for, you know, have taught me so much in tech kind of inspired me in that sense and then given me the confidence to be like, yeah, like, I might not have an engineering degree, but I can learn about it. And then I can figure out how to teach someone else about it and, maybe make it a little bit more accessible to the everyday person. That's, that's really my goal. Like, that's my audience. Like, when I pitch myself to people or brands, it's like, if you want someone to open up a computer and overclock something, like, that's not me. Like, do I know chips? Yeah, I worked at Intel for eight years. Like, I could do that, but I don't want to. I don't care about that kind of stuff. And so what sets me apart is, I kind of prefer to like, see it in real life. Like, how is it really used? How is it really helpful? I think, you know, the best things about tech is just making life simpler and easier and make giving you more time to do the things you really want to do. So how can we trick out our house so we don't have to mop the floor every day after our kid who throws food on the floor? Like, that's the kind of stuff I'm into.

Mary Killelea: Oh, you got so many women out there going, yes, yes, that's exactly right. Let's talk about brand deals. How do you go getting brand deals? What resources do you use for figuring out what to charge?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, that's a tricky one. We, um, it's been trial and error for us. I mean, the creator economy is still so new. And I just like met with a big agency the other day, a management firm. And it's like the wild, wild west, like even people who do it for a living. And it's like every creator, depending on their niche and their audience and the brand can charge different rates. And so, you know, there's two ways you can do it. You can just trial error yourself and see what brands will pay you and, you know, find kind of that sweet spot of where you're getting your deals. Or you can hire like a management firm to come help you and they have a lot of purview in that because they probably have like 10, 30 creators that they represent. So they have a probably a really good idea of where to put you. And I think that is probably helpful at first. So I think a lot of creators when they're new, they like way under charge what they should because like they're like, Oh my gosh, I just think they kind of blow up overnight type creators are like, all of a sudden I have like all these followers and like, I don't really know anything about this world. Like I didn't really even plan this because that happens.

It's important to like get in the community, meet other creators who are willing to like be transparent about their what they're charging and then your management firms can help as well. Or you just be ballsy like us and you say, Hey, it's going to cost this much and just see what they say. And if they say yes, then okay, cool. You're not charging too much. But it's a tricky space. There's no, there's no book and also it's like, you have to know some brands hire, you know, they want views, like they just hire creators, you get lots of views. Some brands are more into like the creator and the IP that they bring in. Like we really like you, like we like what you have to say. We like your point of view. Like we want to be associated with your brand, like whether or not, you know, whatever the view, like they care about views, but it's like more like personality or persona led or view led. And so sometimes it's like you could charge more because they really like, they purposely want you like you fill a niche or you feel a hole, a hole in their content strategy that they don't have. And you use that to your advantage.

I know I'm a woman, there's not as many of us. And so I feel like I have a little bit of a, of a grasp there too, because, you know, we're more unique and I think that people, brands are willing to pay for that. And I think, yeah, it's great for us women. You should take advantage of it.

Mary Killelea: I know, absolutely. And we kind of touched on this next question a tiny bit, but any behind the scenes challenges you faced early on that you could tell someone else that's just starting out, like maybe don't do this, do this, or I learned it the hard way and this is how I overcame it.

Danielle Hern: Yeah, I would say, when you're first starting out making content, just throw everything up the wall. Like I didn't, I didn't really plan my whole, like my whole niche was all over the place. Like I think if you have a very, very strong expertise or passion, you should start there for sure. But does, doesn't mean it can't change. And maybe you end up posting a video that really resonates with people. That's not what you would have originally thought. Try that out for five or 10 videos. And if it's still something that is working, then, Hey, maybe you have a niche in something you didn't expect. And you never really know until you just create like a mass variety of different types of content and different styles and just post it and see what happens. That's like in the very beginning when you're like just starting, starting out on social.

And then, you know, once you're a little bit further along and you have a following and you're creating videos. I think this biggest struggle for creators, for myself and a lot of creators that I've talked to that I have friends, it's the fear around content flopping and not getting views. Cause it's like, Oh, you've gained all of this following and you work so hard on a video and you're so excited about it. And it doesn't, it didn't resonate or you, your hook wasn't quite right. You know, there's all of these little things that can go into a viral video or not. And sometimes it's the least thing, the thing that you least expect. And sometimes you expected it. Like you're like, I kind of knew that this would be viral, but sometimes you don't. And the flip side of that is like, you work really hard on the video and think like you're so excited about it. And it doesn't do as good as you can do. And it can be hard.

I've reflected over the years of doing this. It's very different from a corporate job, like validation wise, because at a corporate job, you have like a team and you have a boss and you have a lot of deliverables and metrics that you can like account success to. Whether that's like your boss done you, you did a good job or your coworker or the actual deliverable you created did succeeded or maybe it didn't succeed, but there's reasons behind it. You can talk through someone with it. When you're on your own in content, it's like, there's kind of like two big metrics. It's like, how many followers do you have and how many views did you get? And then what's your engagement like?

It's easy to get kind of wrapped around the axle of like a video didn't do well. Like I suck at my job. Like what did I do wrong? Like I'm so bad at doing this. Like this is my one thing I'm supposed to do. And I failed. And I used to have that a lot in the beginning of like, I'm in a slump and like things this, whatever it is, like whatever I'm trying isn't working and not like it's not like not it's up and down any size of creator. It's up and down. Like you have great weeks and bad weeks or months or years and doesn't mean you should stop doing it. I've so many times been like, I'm quitting like TikTok algorithm hates me. Like I'm over this. I don't want to do this anymore. And you need someone in your corner to be like, no, like you've worked too hard. Like this is just a phase or this is just a video that didn't do well. You're going to try something different next time. Try something new and it's okay.

And then not caring about it. That was like the biggest thing for me. I just had to be like, I'm gonna make content I like, that I enjoy, that I think is educational and fun and not be so stressed on the metrics because, you know, that's not always everything. And trying to like let that go and not let that like emotionally just make you spiral. Because it could be really easy to do that. Because you're so focused on that one thing as a creator, which is I think the number one downside of the job for sure.

Mary Killelea: That's so interesting. I could go in so many different directions on that one. I was like, let's talk about personal boundaries and setting those. I mean, because like even in your personal life, you're on your phone all the time, or at least most people are. How do you check out at the end of the day and be present in the rest of your life?

Danielle Hern: Yeah. Yeah. No, I think it's a constant struggle. It's easy when your job is your phone. It's easy when your job is your phone to be on your phone more than you should be. I definitely like find myself having to, especially now having a kid. It's like, I don't want him growing up to see mom and dad like on their phone all the time. And like, it's funny as techie as we are, we're not like our kid is zero screen time, at least so far, you know, he's not two yet. So we'll see, but we pretty much don't do TV or screen time. And you know, he's, he's a really content independent player, and he loves to play. And we're like, great, we're just gonna go with that. We're not going to try to introduce the technology. It will have a time and a place when he's older. But you know, it's like, it's easy to be like, oh, he's playing over in the corner and like be checking on your Instagram.

And yeah, it's hard. I think the benefit I think to my niche is I do have that separation. Like I have my techie Danny persona and my life in that. And then I have like my own life and I kind of keep them separate. Like I, I have a little bit of personal stuff, like sometimes I have my son on my, you know, other feed when it's, you know, for a specific video, but I'm not vlogging my daily life. And so I always have said, like, I think that's a huge blessing for like my mental sanity, because it's so easy to be out and about me like, oh, this could be a video or like, should I be filming this? Like, should I like, and it's cool that like lifestyle vloggers can turn anything into content at some point. I'm like, jealous, like you can go about your daily life and turn it into content where like, I can't, but I'm, I'm overall grateful for it because it definitely creates like that separation. And like, I don't really put my family too much on my social like here and there.

And it's not like it's secret. It's just, you know, it's healthy boundaries. And you know, for privacy, we're like, it's hard to be private when you're like, you have 500 plus thousand followers, but we try our best to keep last names off the internet, keep, you know, locations and stuff like that. Mainly for, you know, our kid. But yeah, so that's like, that's a blessing being able to keep those things separate and feel like, okay, I can like do my work and post on TechieDani, but it's usually about certain topics, techie things, and then the rest of the life and the rest of everything else can not be on social. And then I don't feel like I have to be on social because it's not a working day. Like I'm not, I'm not vlogging or I'm not like taking photos or posting Instagram because that is done on the days that I'm working.

Mary Killelea: What would you say is the most rewarding experience that you've had in your, in your content creation?

Danielle Hern: Like a particular experience was like definitely like the Tesla event that I got to go to in May, no, October, well it was October last month. Wow. That felt like ages ago. That was cool for me. That was kind of like, oh my gosh, like an “I made it” moment. It was a, it was a very, it was a big deal. Like for people who are interested in, you know, cars and Tesla, like it was one of the biggest events like of maybe the entire Tesla company, what they unveiled there, the robo taxis and you know, there's been so much hype about it for so long. And so it was really cool to be invited to that and get to cover it. We shot some really awesome content that did really well, which was so exciting. Got to meet like basically some, like the main engineers behind the autonomous driving and the designs of their cars. And so that was definitely a really cool moment from like an EV fan girl standpoint.

And it's also interesting being there because it was a total bro fest. It was like all a bunch of nerdy, car guys and then like a handful of us women. But we stick together as women in the car space. There's not many of us, so we're all friends, which is fun. So that was really cool. And just being invited to more tech events is cool. I've obviously been to a lot of events in my corporate job, but it's fun being on the other side of things. I worked with a big company recently. I work with Qualcomm. I guess I can say that it's not a secret, but it was kind of weird like sitting in the green room with all of the people, like pretty much everyone there had worked at Intel. You know, it's like a big mixing pot of the semiconductor world is small at the end of the day. There's not that many companies to work for. And they're all like click clacking on their computers and answering emails. And I'm just like sitting there like, I literally was in that job, like not that long ago. Like I remember product launches and how much work and stress that was. And like now I'm just here with my camera. Like I'm filming it for them as the creator, like interviewing them. And it was like a really funny, like full circle moment of like, “wow, I'm here now I'm here”. And like, I'm still in the same industry, which is cool. But I'm doing like a totally, it's totally different side of, you know, the side of the coin. And then that was also kind of like a cool, like, I don't miss being in all of those meetings all the time and talking to China and talking to Europe for like late and early. I really like what I do here.

Mary Killelea: That must have been a really cool moment.

Danielle Hern: Yes, it was. And I'm sure one day I'll get the chance to work for Intel. It hasn't the timing hasn't worked out yet. But I'm sure that will be a full circle moment too, because it's like, wow.

Mary Killelea: Very cool. So, okay, only a couple more questions, because I know you got to go. But, yeah, how do you see the role of AI in content creation and tech innovation, innovation evolving over, I don't know, the next three to five years?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, I think AI is, is already a big part and it's going to be an even bigger part. And I cannot wait for AI to edit my videos. I think that's going to be a big thing. Being able to like teach your preferences, your style preferences, having it go in there. There's so many little edits and cuts that's like a human doesn't need to be doing this cutting out. I mean, there's already software for that kind of stuff. Like you probably use it in your podcast. I use a very simple I use chat GPT a lot for concepting. It's really cool. You can ask it to do whether it's, hey, I'm working on a YouTube video comparing three electric cars, like make me a chart of these three cars comparing these stats and it will build it for you. And then you can just take it and throw it in your YouTube video. Or you can use it. Hey, this is my channel. This is the type of content I like. Give me a list of content ideas that I can do or write me a script. And, you know, it's not perfect. Like you take it and you build off of it. But as a starting place, it's pretty amazing.

So I use that like on a daily basis, just, you know, for those sorts of tasks. But I'm definitely ready for the editing AI. I think that's going to reduce a lot of overhead time like a like majority of my time is spent editing videos. And so AI can learn my style and, you know, understand my storyline and what I'm trying to get across and then make the cuts with all of the clips, cull through all of the footage, find the best one where I sound the best and look the best and throw that in and at least give me a good rough like take. Basically replacing what an editor would do if you hired someone from like fiber or whatever. That is what I'm really excited for in our industry. And yeah.

Mary Killelea: Oh my gosh. You are giving so much gold. I am so excited. This podcast to go live. Oh my God. Seriously. What does to be bolder mean to you?

Danielle Hern: So for me, I think it means to not be afraid to try something new. And, you know, you think you're down one path and I thought I had it all figured out. Like I wanted to be a marketing director in the tech world. Like that was my goal. I was very excited about that. And then, you know, this content creator thing became a thing. And then all of a sudden I was like, I don't want to work for anyone. Like, why would I want to work for anyone? Like I want to do my own thing and I'm going to work really hard.

And it was a side hustle for a while. Like it was a lot of work on around my other job to make it happen. But obviously it's been such a blessing. It's so great to have the flexibility. It's so fun. Like, I just love it. I love that I don't have to deal with too many drama or issues. It's like, I just get to do that. I'm the creator gets to come in and make the fun video and the brands are happy. And everyone is like very much a pleasure to work with for the most part. I've been very lucky to work with really great brands and really great agencies and meet really awesome creators. Like the tech world is absent of drama, which is cool. We don't have that kind of like typical influence or drama. Like everyone is so friendly and so nice and embracing.

So it's been amazing. And I would have never, you know, happened if I didn't try something new and, you know, do the dorky thing and post on TikTok. Like, you know, that wasn't really glamorous at the time, but, you know, look where it is now. And so, yeah, be bold enough to reinvent yourself and not be afraid to switch career paths if the opportunity presents or your passions change.

Mary Killelea: That's amazing. Last question, looking ahead, what's next for you? Are there any big brands out there that you haven't worked with that if they're listening right now, you can say, hey, look me up?

Danielle Hern: Yeah, that's a good question. Well, what's next for me? The biggest tech event of the year for consumer is CES. And so I will be in Vegas for a week in January. I'm very excited to be there. I got to go last year with two different brands and we're still working on negotiations for this year. But I'll be there no matter what, hopefully with some cool brands. And my favorite thing about CES is just walking the show floor and like trying out all the random tech, like the ice cream making machine and the automatic boba machine. And like, I just like, I like purposely try to find the weirdest stuff and then film it. And it's so fun. And my audience loved it last year. Like it did really good. And people just like to see unique stuff. And so I'm really excited to be there to be at CES. It's always fun to be at those big trade shows and not be behind the Intel booth, but to be on the other side of things.

So that's like my biggest like event, if you will, coming up. And then, I mean, I don't know, I feel so blessed. I worked with so many amazing tech brands, like some of the biggest ones out there that you that will work with you. Like, there's plenty of brands. It's funny, like people assume like every brand that you rep, it's like you're being paid for. It's like, no, Tesla's never paid me a dime. Like they don't pay influencers. Apple never paid me a dime. They don't pay influencers. So you'd be surprised. Some of the biggest ones, they don't need to pay influencers because they're so big. They have so much cache and people are just so passionate, but they'll invite you to events. They'll, you know, they'll, they'll bring you in on product launches, but you're not getting a free deal from Apple. That was my dream for a long time, but I've learned now that that's not in the cards.

Mary Killelea: That is so interesting because I just assumed that you were.

Danielle Hern: No, I know. Not Tesla either. No, I mean, you get paid for reviews and stuff like that, but right now, Tesla, Rivian, Apple, I'm sure there's others. They don't do influencer marketing. They don't really do much marketing at all. It's kind of like, they don't really need to as much because they just, they have such momentum and they're so good at what they do. But they do. They've been better engaging with creators and you know, get, you know, Apple will give you, you know, send some creators stuff to try out, but they're not necessarily paid to post about it. So yeah, I don't, I can't think of any other.

Mary Killelea: I still think that the enterprise companies, the larger companies, even midsize companies don't get the return on investment. They don't understand the value of influencer marketing. And I think that's going to only get better for creators like you.

Danielle Hern: Yeah.

Mary Killelea: As they start to mature and see the value that maybe some creators are bringing to the smaller brands that, you know, have taken the risk, have taken the chance.

Danielle Hern: Yeah. Yeah. No, you're right. I mean, I've seen a huge transition from when I started to now of just brands of all sizes, getting behind influencer marketing and just influencers in general, whether that be paid or earned media, I think both is good. Like it's good to bring a creator in for a behind the scenes day and not pay them so they can be completely honest with their views. Like there is a time and a place for that. I think that that's great. And then, you know, at some point it's like, you know, we don't make money by posting free videos. So it was a balance. Like, that's always a balance. I have to strike of like, I want to buy my own product and sponsor my own stuff because I can like say whatever I want. And not that I would ever lie about a paid deal, but there's certain, there's a certain line you have to walk with how you approach that. And luckily I've never been in a position of getting a product that I'm like, this sucks, but now I have to post about it. Like, first of all, I wouldn't do that. I would back out of the deal if I can, but you'd be really selective in what deals you take, especially in the tech space, because it's like, you don't want to risk your credibility and you want to make sure that, you know, the stuff you have coming in, the brands you're working with are reputable big brands that are going to have good products. Or you need to make sure you have had experience with it before. And so it's good to do both, but it's like, you can't post too many brand deals or your audience gonna get tired of it, or you're gonna feel like a sellout, even though you have to post them. That's how you make your money.

And I think people have learned that. Like, I feel like in the beginning, you used to get so shamed for taking a brand deal, but oh, she's being paid, like, it's not true. And now I'm seeing like the like people's audiences being like, like excited, like, oh, wow, like, get your bag girl, like, we're proud of you. Like, you know, it's like, kind of shifted, people get it. It's like, you have to take ads every once in a while, you have to do sponsored deals. And hopefully, you're doing it for brands that you're really passionate about, and you really like, and you genuinely like would make the video whether it was paid or not. That's like the goal. And I've been lucky to be able to do that in my space.

But it's, you know, you definitely you have to make a lot of videos that are you're not getting paid for to be able to build an audience and build your trust to be able to then take those every once in a while brand deals to pay to pay the bills. So, it was like balance and fine line there. But yeah, it's brands are like a whole other conversation of how you work with brands that you know, it's like no one knows anything about it until you meet someone who does it. It's like the number one thing people ask me when they find out I do what I do. They're like, how do you make money? And like, how do you get paid? And like, what if you don't like the product that you get sent? And I'm like, those are good questions. Those are like most people don't know those things until you're in it. I certainly didn't. But that's like the whole uniqueness of the industry.

Companies definitely are on board. I mean, we've seen obviously marketing budgets get slashed a lot of places over the last years, the economy has been, you know, struggling, but influencer marketing usually doesn't like that's the one that a lot of companies have kept because they realize like, those people can get so many more eyeballs than paying for a TV commercial or sponsoring like a little banner on a legacy media site. It's the new wave. It's podcasting too. I mean, that's the new wave of getting information. And that's also been booming too. So it's exciting. It's a really exciting time to be a creator. And it's really cool to see the industry move and shift and mature, like literally under your feet. There's always something new.

Mary Killelea: This has been such a great conversation. I've personally learned so much and it's just been fun knowing you before you got into this to where you are now and seeing just you light up in the space that you're doing, not that you didn't before, but I'm happy for you. And I'm so excited for your success.

Danielle Hern: Thank you, Mary. Well, thank you so much for having me. It was so fun to talk to you again.

Mary Killelea: Yeah, I'm going to make sure that everyone knows on the show notes. I got your TikTok link, Instagram, YouTube, X, Facebook, and then even your recommended products. So still good.

Danielle Hern: Check it out. It's all techie Danny. I'm the same on every channel. So keep it easy. Thank you so much.

Mary Killelea: Thank you so much. Thanks for listening to the episode today. It was really fun chatting with my guest. If you liked our show, please like it and share it with your friends. If you want to learn what we're up to, please go check out our website at 2bbolder.com. That's the number 2, little b, boulder.com.