Conversation with Kayla Kleinman
Do you feel stuck when it comes to social media?
Have you thought about starting a blog but not sure what to do? Or maybe you wonder “why should I have a blog?"
This conversation answers all these questions - and more. When I asked Kayla Kleinman to be a guest, I knew it was going to be packed with social media and blogging tips because that’s what I was going to ask questions about.
And yes - we talk about social media and blogging and you will learn a ton, but where the real nuggets of wisdom are is when she talks about creating opportunities for yourself as a business owner, how when something doesn’t work it’s not just the price, and how the pandemic has helped her truly step into being a business owner in a different way.
Let's jump into the conversation with Kayla!
Showing up on social media authentically
"Don't be afraid to show the real side of you beyond just, 'Hey, I'm teaching a class today, come join!'" - Kayla Kleinman
Find what's authentic to you and tap into that, whether that's "pointing and dancing" on reels, or going live instagram, or blogging. Show up as a whole human in whatever feels comfortable for you. You’re more than just a yoga teacher - don't be afraid to show that. Don’t overthink it too much or make it so serious. Be you.
"My most viral reel was a big wakeup call that it doesn't have to be so perfect and if I just have fun with this and show up as my real goofy self, then let me go for it. If that's not authentic to you, I encourage you to find a way to use reels that is you." - Kayla Kleinman
And remember that what's authentic for you might be different than what's authentic for someone else.
When you force something (whether it's a yoga pose or a type of marketing) that isn’t accessible for you, it doesn’t work well. Find what works for you.
**This was also a podcast episode (episode #121). Use the player below if you'd prefer to listen to this message.
Blogging to grow your yoga business
"I thought, 'I'm going to create these opportunities for myself to essential practice teaching yoga.' Because of my blog and social media following, I was able to attract people to come in and take my class . So a year later when I started auditioning for studios in NYC, I already had so much experience under my belt teaching yoga - all because I created these opportunities and was able to have this community thanks to my blog." - Kayla Kleinman
Having a blog can be beneficial to growing your yoga business in many ways.
You can get offered partnerships that are solely for blogs.
It improves your SEO and helps you get found on Google.
If social media ever goes away or changes the algorithm, you still have a place of your own that you can collect email addresses to build your email list.
It gives you a space to expand upon ideas that are too large to make a reel or instagram post about.
It can help you create content for social media (and vice versa). You can look back on past blog posts that did well and recreate them for social media posts. You can also take one of your reels that went viral and write a blog post about it.
Creating opportunities for yourself as a yoga teacher business owner
A lot of teachers did not sign up to be an entrepreneur. This is a total mindset shift that needs to happen at some point if you want to make a living as a yoga teacher.
It's so important to create opportunities for yourself. Don't wait for them to come to you. Sometimes that means seizing an opportunity when someone says "Oh, you're a yoga teacher - that's cool" and responding by inviting them to your class. And sometimes thats means hosting your own events, collaborating with others, and making things happen.
"It's not my personality to put myself out there. I'll be the first to say it's scary. But I keep asking myself - what's the worst thing that can happen?" - Kayla Kleinman
Ask yourself: What's the worst thing that can happen? If the worst thing that can happen is that no one signs up for the class you promote, you didn't lose anything.
"Feel the fear, but do it anyway." - Kayla Kleinman
When you put yourself out there and you aren't happy with the result, look at it all as a learning experience. Go back and retrace your steps. Can you tweak the offering? Dissect it. Learn from it, give yourself plenty of grace, and try again!
"Just show up. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be good. If I had waited until I had "the best name ever" I never would have launched my blog. Just start. You can always figure it out as you go." - Kayla Kleinman
Money mindset as a yoga teacher
When it comes to pricing your offerings, don't just choose a random number based off of what other people are doing.
You can do market research if you're feeling like you're totally off the mark, but usually the price of your class or offering has less to do with how many people are signing up than you think. Instead, it's more about how you're talking about the offering, or other details that you can shift around and experiment with.
Above all, be confident. Stand by your price. This is your career and it's not a hobby. None of us would expect to go to the dentist or your hairdresser and not pay.
"We deserve to get paid for the service that we offer, the skills that we have, and the work that we've put in as yoga teachers. There's no shame in asking for it." - Kayla Kleinman
The importance of email & Google (not just social media!)
"One of my biggest regrets is not starting an email list sooner." - Kayla Kleinman
Google and email are so powerful. Social media is finicky and constantly changing, so to have an unchanging "home on the web" is almost a necessity.
You can put a pop-up or embed a form in each blog post asking for email addresses. This is a wonderful way to build your email list.
Your blog also allows people to find you on Google. With this in mind, you can blog strategically. Think about how you google things and use those keywords in your post. For example, "I love these yoga pants” would make a great instagram post, but “Lululemon align pants review” is much better for google.
Finally, once your blog grows, you can use affiliate links as an extra potential income stream. Kayla uses Reward Style.
If you're interested in diving deeper on Google and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), then you'll want to listen to episode 47 of the podcast with Meg Casebolt: "6 Step Process to Get Your Yoga Business Found on Google using SEO."
Your next step
Your next step is to take a minute to think about something you’ve been wanting to do but haven’t done it yet for whatever reason.
It can be anything: starting a blog, creating a workshop, raising your prices, getting serious about your marketing plan.
Now that you have that in your mind, I want you to take a minute and think about the worst thing that could happen if it doesn’t work out. Seriously, name that thing.
If you want to start your blog, maybe the worst thing for you is that your friend from high school will read it and think it’s stupid.
If you want to create a workshop, maybe the worst thing for you is that one person would sign up and you’d have to decide if you cancel it or move forward with one person.
You get the point here. Name the worst thing that could happen and then ask yourself: “Okay, if that happens, what will I do? Think? Feel?” And then “Is it worth it to try?”
Spoiler alert - the answer to that question is “yes!" If it’s not worth it to try, then it’s not the goal you need to chase right now. Think of another one until you get to a yes. Because you’ve got a burning desire to do something or else you wouldn’t be listening to this podcast episode right now.
And if you’d like support in going after that goal I would love to help you. Inside my membership Thrive, we’ve been going through a “Last 90 Days” program and you can jump in right now!
Last 90 Days is where for 90 days (currently the last 90 days of the year) you set and track progress on a goal you’re working towards. There’s weekly coaching, goal tracking and accountability built in.
If this has lit you up, please go to amandamckinney.com/thrive and jump in!
Until next time, give yourself permission to go after what you want and grace along the way.
"Just show up. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't even have to be good. If I had waited until I had "the best name ever" I never would have launched my blog. Just start. You can always figure it out as you go." - Kayla Kleinman
About Kayla
Kayla Kleinman is a multi-passionate New Yorker balancing teaching yoga and barre, writing her lifestyle blog Kayla in the City, and social media coaching. After graduating NYU/Tisch with a BFA in theater, Kayla decided to bring her love of performing and loudmouth to the world of fitness and yoga where she’s taught at Y7 Studio, CorePower Yoga, and The Bar Method.
In addition to her experience in the fitness industry, Kayla previously held social media and marketing positions at wellness-oriented start-ups like ClassPass, Daily Burn, and NicePipes Apparel. In 2018, Kayla completed her Master of Science in Social Media and Mobile Marketing from Pace’s Lubin School of Business.
As a blogger and content creator, Kayla has been featured by Teen Vogue as a top fitness blogger to follow and her viral Reel about choosing not to have kids was reposted by Freeform. More often than not you can find her in yoga pants, drinking an iced oat milk latte, while probably reading a juicy novel.
Kayla's Links
Kayla's blog: Kayla in the City
Main instagram: @kaylakleinman
Social media coaching instagram: @yoursocialmedia.bff
Social media coaching website: Your Social Media BFF
Looking for support and guidance in your yoga business?
In Thrive, my monthly membership for yoga teachers, you get social media and email templates, monthly Q&A calls, advanced trainings, business check-ins, a private community, and more. Thrive is a membership that can support you on every part of your yoga business journey - from the very beginning all the way to advanced challenges!
>>> Click here to learn more about Thrive! <<<
